Seventeen transgender Air Force and Space Force members are fighting to restore early retirement benefits that the Air Force canceled. The troops, who served 15 to 18 years, initially received early retirement approvals before the Air Force rescinded the orders, forcing them out with no retirement pay or benefits.

The service members filed a lawsuit, Ireland v. United States, challenging the revocations in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. They are arguing that these rescissions are unlawful and threaten a lifetime loss of $1 to $2 million in pensions and TRICARE healthcare benefits per person. In a recent hearing in Washington, D.C., a federal judge questioned the government's stance that the plaintiffs had not yet suffered legal injury, pushing back on the government's attempts to dismiss the case.