{"id":15616,"date":"2017-12-21T17:04:07","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T17:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/12\/21\/now-that-the-drawdown-is-over-the-army-is-ditching-early-retirement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:50:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:50:25","slug":"now-that-the-drawdown-is-over-the-army-is-ditching-early-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2017\/12\/21\/now-that-the-drawdown-is-over-the-army-is-ditching-early-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Now that the drawdown is over, the Army is ditching early retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the Army needs to downsize the force, one of the most effective tools is to allow more senior soldiers to retire before the 20-year mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It worked as the service went through a drawdown in the last five or six years, but now that troop levels are on an upswing, Army Secretary Mark Esper has canceled temporary early retirement authority and moved the threshold back to the traditional 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 increased Army end strength and we have ceased the drawdown,\u201d Esper wrote in a Dec. 15 directive. \u201cTherefore, I am terminating the use of TERA and ending the reduction in the minimum years of active commissioned service required for voluntary retirement.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The directive rescinded the Army\u2019s most recent TERA policy, which dropped the voluntary retirement mark down to 15 years, in 2016. Previously, former Army Secretary John McHugh had allowed officers to retire at as early as eight years, per a 2014 directive, at the height of the drawdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\u201cWith the end of the drawdown and establishment of End Strength Increase, it was no longer justifiable to continue the use of Temporary Early Retirement Authority,\u201d G-1 spokesman Hank Minitrez said in a statement. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soldiers who were banking on TERA do not need to fret, however. Those with 15 years in service have until Jan. 15 to submit a request to their chain of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommanders will expedite requests for TERA to the approval authority,\u201d Esper wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, soldiers who are waiting on 2017 promotion board results \u2014 and will be hitting a retention control point if they don\u2019t move up \u2014 will have 30 calendar days from the publishing of the results to apply for TERA, as long as the results come out after Jan. 15. <\/p>\n\n\n\t