Air Force Blocks Retirement Benefits for Transgender Troops
Decision forces separation without benefits for those near retirement eligibility.
The U.S. Air Force will deny all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service the option to retire early, instead moving to separate them without retirement benefits, the service confirmed Thursday.
The decision forces those service members to choose between accepting a lump-sum separation payment—typically offered to junior troops—or being involuntarily removed from the ranks.
An Air Force spokesperson told The Associated Press that while troops in the 15- to 18-year window were permitted to request an exception to policy, “none of the exceptions to policy were approved.” The spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal Air Force policy, said about a dozen transgender service members were “prematurely notified” they could retire before the decision was reversed.
The action affects all openly transgender members of the Air Force under Trump administration directives banning them from military service.
A Monday memo reviewed by the AP stated that the denial of retirement benefits came “after careful consideration of the individual applications.”
The move follows a May decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing the Pentagon to enforce its ban on transgender troops. Shortly afterward, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that those already serving openly would be offered two options: volunteer to leave with a one-time, large separation payout or remain in the service until involuntary separation at a later date.
The policy immediately drew criticism from advocates who say it undermines the dignity and livelihoods of service members who have already sacrificed years to the military. Many of the affected individuals have devoted more than a decade and a half to their careers, only to face separation without the retirement benefits they had been on track to earn.
Pentagon officials have maintained that the policy treats all affected service members with “dignity and respect.”
But transgender troops have described the process—which in some cases has included changing official records to reflect their birth-assigned gender—as humiliating and discriminatory. In interviews with Military.com in late July, several service members called the process “dehumanizing” and “open cruelty.”
Military retirement eligibility typically requires 20 years of service. By targeting those between 15 and 18 years, the Air Force’s decision ensures that affected transgender troops will fall short of that mark, eliminating a lifelong benefit many were close to securing.
LGBTQ advocates say the move disproportionately harms a small but dedicated group of service members who have met every standard required of them. The ban, first announced by President Donald Trump in 2017, has been condemned by human rights groups, former military leaders and medical organizations as unsupported by evidence and driven by politics rather than readiness concerns.
The Air Force’s denial of early retirement adds to the barriers transgender service members face as the ban is implemented, a policy that, critics say, discards experienced personnel in the name of exclusion.
