To answer a few misperceptions:
1. If you are in the current AFPS you do not have to transfer to the new scheme even if you get promoted. The only time this might occur if you leave the Services and rejoin.
2. At some point in the future serving members will be given the choice to join the new scheme. If they do not choose to transfer the option will not be given again.
3. The cost saving to make it cost neutral will come from the fact that a deferred pension if you leave before the IPP will be paid at 65 not 60. Also your immediate pension will be paid 2 years later for officers. The third way may be if you leave after IPP and before 55 - the payments may well be less than the immediate pension you would receive under the current scheme. They have yet to announce what these payments would be.
4. The improvements are the death in service payments which could be mitigated by separate life insurance. The final pension at 55 will be 50 % of the final salary i.e. the largest sum over the last 3 years of service which is potentially better than the current scheme where the pension is based on representative salary.
I am an interested party and not the management so all my info is drawn from the pubs that are freely available to all.
GB2