The U.S. Air Force announced in early August that all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of service will be denied the option to retire early and will instead be separated without retirement benefits. Those affected must choose between taking the same lump-sum payout offered to junior troops or being involuntarily separated. Under the Trump administration’s policy, every transgender member of the Air Force is being pushed out of service.
An Air Force spokesperson told the Associated Press that while troops in this service window could apply for exceptions, “none of the exceptions to policy were approved.” About a dozen service members were “prematurely notified” that their applications had been approved before the decision was reversed. The Air Force said the denials came “after careful consideration of the individual applications.”
This decision is part of the Trump administration’s wider effort to remove all transgender personnel from the military. In May, the Supreme Court gave the Pentagon the green light to enforce the ban, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth soon announced that transgender troops could either take a lump-sum payout to leave voluntarily or be involuntarily separated later.
For Master Sgt. Logan Ireland, a 15-year Air Force veteran who has served multiple tours overseas, the reversal came as a shock. “The first feeling I felt was betrayal. I’ve given my life to the service,” he said in an interview with ABC News. “I was promised this. I had my retirement orders in hand.” Ireland has elected involuntary separation, saying, “One thing the military failed to teach me was how to retreat. I’m not going down without a fight.”
Air Force Cmdr. Emily Shilling said the Air Force went back on its word, leaving many close to 20 years of service suddenly without the benefits they had been counting on. Shilling, who will be eligible for retirement at 20 years in September, told ABC News she chose to self-identify as transgender and begin the process of voluntarily separating from the military, but said the decision was made “under duress.”
“I was coerced into it because we knew that the voluntary separation would give me an honorable discharge with some portion of my retirement, and I’d be able to keep all of my benefits,” Shilling said.
The Pentagon identifies transgender service members primarily through “gender dysphoria” diagnoses, though officials acknowledge that not all transgender people have that diagnosis. As of December 2024, there were 4,240 active-duty, National Guard and Reserve members diagnosed with gender dysphoria, but it is believed that the true number is higher.
Professor Nathaniel Frank of Cornell University told ABC News that the administration’s justification that transgender individuals are unfit to serve is unsupported by evidence. “There’s never been any evidence found that gay or transgender service members present any problems to unit cohesion or readiness,” he said.
Despite ongoing lawsuits challenging the ban, the Air Force is moving ahead with separations. Those denied early retirement will receive an honorable discharge, some separation benefits, and transition assistance, but no pension.