By the Numbers: 13 November 2023
Ages 42 and 46.
Average military retirement ages for "active duty non-disability" enlisted personnel and officers, respectively, according to a Congressional Research Service Report -- Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments.
There are currently three separate but related retirement pathways within the DOD: one for active duty members, one for reservists, and one for those who become medically disabled and are unable to complete a 20-year military career. Each of these systems pathways has distinct eligibility requirements and formulas for calculating the retirement annuity. Retirement pay calculations are based on the date when the servicemember first entered active duty and their pay base at the time of retirement. The defined benefit portion of the active and reserve component retirement systems cliff-vests after 20 years of service. This means servicemembers who leave the service prior to completing 20 years of eligible service typically will not receive any non-disability retirement benefit. Members who become eligible for a disability retirement are vested on their disability retirement date regardless of years of service. The average number of years of service for a disability retiree is 11.0 years for enlisted members and 13.5 years for officers. -- also notes:
Ages 42 and 46.
There are currently three separate but related retirement pathways within the DOD: one for active duty members, one for reservists, and one for those who become medically disabled and are unable to complete a 20-year military career. Each of these systems pathways has distinct eligibility requirements and formulas for calculating the retirement annuity. Retirement pay calculations are based on the date when the servicemember first entered active duty and their pay base at the time of retirement. The defined benefit portion of the active and reserve component retirement systems cliff-vests after 20 years of service. This means servicemembers who leave the service prior to completing 20 years of eligible service typically will not receive any non-disability retirement benefit. Members who become eligible for a disability retirement are vested on their disability retirement date regardless of years of service. The average number of years of service for a disability retiree is 11.0 years for enlisted members and 13.5 years for officers. -- also notes: