The U.S. Air Force will deny transgender airmen and airwomen with 15 to 18 years of experience who are being forced out the option to retire early, instead separating them without retirement benefits.

The affected servicemembers will not have the opportunity to either take a lump-sum separation payment offered to junior troops or be removed from the service, according to Reuters.

This is the latest move the Trump administration has made to bar transgender people from enlisting or serving in the military. The Pentagon, under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, views those with gender dysphoria as being “incompatible with military service.”

An Air Force spokesperson told the Washington Examiner, “Although service members with 15 to 18 years of honorable service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.”

About a dozen transgender airmen and airwomen were “prematurely notified” that they would be able to retire before that decision was overturned.

Brian Scarlett, who is performing the duties of assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs, signed an Aug. 4 memo rejecting all of the exceptions. This memo comes after a May 23 memo that said Air Force personnel with 15 to 18 years of service could request early retirement.

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