Air Force to deny early retirement benefits to some transgender service members
Transgender service members, who were made to either voluntarily separate or be forced out of the military under a policy instituted by the Trump administration, will instead be offered enhanced voluntary separation pay, which falls short of the early retirement benefit and is typically given to service members who choose to leave active duty before they are eligible for retirement, according to an Aug. 4 memo obtained by The Hill and first reported by Reuters.
An earlier memo, sent in May by Gwendolyn R. Defilippi, acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, said transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service could request Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA). In most military branches, including the Air Force, service members are eligible for retirement after 20 years.
An Air Force spokesperson did not immediately return The Hill's request for comment on the new policy but told Reuters on Thursday that roughly a dozen transgender troops with between 15 and 18 years of military service were 'prematurely notified' that their TERA applications were approved, and a 'higher level review' was required.
In the Aug. 4 memo, Brian Scarlett, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, wrote that, 'after careful consideration of the individual applications,' he was 'disapproving' TERA requests from trans service members with 15 to 18 years of service. The memo does not explain the decision.
President Trump's Jan. 27 executive order to boot transgender people from the military alleges they cannot satisfy the 'rigorous standards' needed to serve, and allowing their participation threatens military readiness and unit cohesion. A 2016 RAND Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon found that allowing trans people to serve had no negative impact on unit cohesion, operational effectiveness or readiness.
Lawsuits filed by transgender troops and LGBTQ rights groups allege the administration's policy, which the Supreme Court allowed to take effect in May, is discriminatory and unlawful.
Master Sgt. Logan Ireland, the lead plaintiff in one of those lawsuits, served in the Air Force for 15 years before the Trump administration's policy took effect in June. Ireland said he applied for and received early retirement benefits, with an approved early retirement date of Dec. 1, 2025.
But on Wednesday, Air Force officials told him his retirement was being revoked, Ireland said, and he would be separated without the previously approved benefits.
'I have served my country honorably. I have earned multiple awards for leadership and excellence, deployed to combat zones, led operations across the globe, and worn this uniform with pride. Time and time again, I exceeded standards in defense of this nation,' Ireland said in an emailed statement. 'And now, without warning, I am being forcibly removed—not for misconduct, not for failure, but because I am transgender.'
His and other transgender service members' early retirement was revoked 'without any case-by-case review, explanation, or legal justification,' Ireland said. 'Our involuntary removal is being carried out without dignity, without transparency, and without the respect every honorable service member deserves. This is not policy, it is betrayal.'
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