The move means they will be faced with the choice of taking a lump-sum separation payment or be removed from the service.

The move is the latest escalation by the Trump administration as it seeks to bar transgender individuals from joining the U.S. military and remove all who are currently serving.

An Air Force spokesperson told The Associated Press that “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.