WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Air Force has denied early retirement requests from all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of military service, instead requiring them to either voluntarily separate or face involuntary discharge without retirement benefits, according to an August 4 memo obtained by Reuters.
The decision marks another step in the Trump administration’s efforts to remove transgender personnel from the armed forces. The Pentagon maintains that transgender service members are medically unfit for duty—an assertion civil rights advocates call false and discriminatory.
The memo, signed by Brian Scarlett, the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, rescinds all previously granted Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA) exceptions for transgender members in the 15–18 years of service range.
“After careful consideration of the individual applications, I am disapproving all Temporary Early Retirement Authority exception to policy requests… for members with 15 to 18 years of service,” the memo states.
Advocates say the reversal comes after some service members were already approved for early retirement under a May 23 policy memo. Those approvals have now been revoked, with the Air Force saying some applications were “prematurely approved” and required higher-level review under the Department of Defense’s gender dysphoria policy.
About a dozen service members fall into this category, according to the Air Force. They will now face the same choices as more junior personnel: voluntarily separate or be forced out, with eligibility for voluntary separation pay at twice the amount of involuntary separation pay. Bonuses awarded before May 15, 2025, will not need to be repaid.
Shannon Minter of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights called the move “devastating” and a “betrayal of a direct commitment made to these service members.”
The Air Force says early retirement has been approved for more senior transgender members—those with 18–20 years of service—who are approaching regular 20-year retirement eligibility.
In internal documents, the Air Force even prepared guidance on how service members might explain the loss of retirement benefits to their families, suggesting they emphasize remaining benefits such as the GI Bill and VA eligibility, stress that the decision does not reflect on their service or character, and utilize counseling resources through Military & Family Readiness.
The decision underscores the ongoing tension between Pentagon policy and the rights of transgender Americans who have served, as legal and political battles over military service continue.
