Military personnel who are transgender and are being discharged from the US Air Force will no longer receive retirement benefits.
In a controversial move, the U.S. Air Force has decided to deny early retirement to transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years. This policy change was announced in a memo released on Monday and forms part of the Trump administration's broader policies on transgender military service.
The new policy was revealed following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement in early May that openly serving transgender troops could either voluntarily leave with a large, one-time separation payout or be involuntarily separated at a later date. The Supreme Court gave the Pentagon permission in early May to move forward with a ban on transgender troops serving in the military.
Previously, early retirement requests had been conditionally approved, but the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, Brian Scarlett, has officially denied all such applications as of an August 4, 2025 memo. Transgender members who are denied early retirement must instead separate from service voluntarily or face involuntary separation.
This policy reversal has been met with criticism from transgender service members and advocates, who argue it unfairly punishes those who followed Air Force policies on in-service gender transition. The denial of early retirement benefits is viewed by some as discriminatory, calling into question the Air Force's commitment to its personnel and principles.
Transgender troops have found the separation process, which includes reverting their service records to their birth gender, to be dehumanizing or open cruelty. The Air Force spokesperson, who spoke anonymously to discuss internal Air Force policy regarding transgender service members, stated that none of the exceptions to the policy for service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were approved.
The Pentagon views the policy as treating anyone impacted by it with dignity and respect. However, the new policy leaves transgender service members with the choice of taking a lump-sum separation payment or being removed from the service without retirement pension benefits.
About a dozen service members were prematurely notified that they would be able to retire, but this decision was later reversed. The new Air Force policy applies to transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years, and all transgender members of the Air Force are being separated from the service under the Trump administration's policies.
References: 1. The Hill 2. The Washington Post 3. The New York Times
- The new Air Force policy, announced on August 4, 2025, under the Trump administration's broader policies on transgender military service, has been criticized by transgender service members and advocates, as it denies early retirement to transgender airmen who have served between 15 and 18 years, which they argue is discriminatory and conflicts with the Air Force's commitment to its personnel and principles.
- This policy change, forming part of the general-news and policy-and-legislation discussions, has generated controversy within the political sphere, with some viewing the denial of early retirement benefits as unfairly punishing those who followed Air Force policies on in-service gender transition, and the subsequent separation process being seen as dehumanizing or open cruelty by affected service members.
