Air Force and Space Force set March 26 deadline for "voluntary" separation
Guidance/memoUSAF
- Date
- Actor
- Department of the Air Force
- Type
- Guidance/memo
Summary
Department of the Air Force guidance implementing the Feb. 26 policy gave airmen and guardians with a gender dysphoria diagnosis or history until March 26, 2025 to elect voluntary separation, describing gender dysphoria as "incompatible with the high mental and physical standards necessary for military service." Voluntary separation pay was set at twice the involuntary rate to induce departures.
Status
Deadline superseded by the May 8, 2025 DoD-wide reset (June 6, 2025) after the injunction interlude; underlying separation authority constrained by Talbott class litigation as of mid-2026. Update, Sept. 23, 2026: On Aug. 27, 2026, the government petitioned the Supreme Court to review the D.C. Circuit's June 1, 2026 ruling in Talbott v. USA (docketed Sept. 1, 2026, as No. 26-272; response due Oct. 1, 2026); the ruling's protection of currently serving class members remains in effect while the petition is pending.
As recorded in the data of . Check the sources for anything newer.
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Documents
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Air Force and Space Force set March 26 deadline for "voluntary" separation
Memorandum from Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, Acting Ass't Sec'y of the Air Force for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Dep't of the Air Force, U.S. Dep't of Def., to ALMAJCOM-ALFLDCOM-FOA-DRU/CC Distribution C, Additional Guidance for Executive Order 14183, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness" (Mar. 1, 2025), https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2025SAF/Prioritizing_Military_Excellence_and_Readiness_Memo.pdf.
Sources
- af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2025SAF/Prioritizing_Military_Excellence_and_Readine…(opens another site)PDF, external
- courtlistener.com/docket/69800554/nicolas-talbott-v-usa(opens another site)
- foxnews.com/politics/trans-airmen-space-force-personnel-have-until-march-26-res…(opens another site)
- supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/26-272.html(opens another site)
Cite this action
Memorandum from Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, Acting Ass't Sec'y of the Air Force for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Dep't of the Air Force, U.S. Dep't of Def., to ALMAJCOM-ALFLDCOM-FOA-DRU/CC Distribution C, Additional Guidance for Executive Order 14183, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness" (Mar. 1, 2025), https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2025SAF/Prioritizing_Military_Excellence_and_Readiness_Memo.pdf.
Short form: Memorandum from Gwendolyn R. DeFilippi, Acting Ass't Sec'y of the Air Force for Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Dep't of the Air Force, U.S. Dep't of Def., to ALMAJCOM-ALFLDCOM-FOA-DRU/CC Distribution C, Additional Guidance for Executive Order 14183, "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness" (Mar. 1, 2025), https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2025SAF/Prioritizing_Military_Excellence_and_Readiness_Memo.pdf.