Of interest I wonder if anyone will sue for constructive dismissal and/or unfair renumeration if they are not permitted to serve until 55 under AFPS 05, will be an interesting ruling........
I'm just wondering if they will eventually raise the retirement age from 55 - 60. I know the military is a young man's game, but with the move to retiring later and the constant encouragement to work until you drop, sorry, for as long as you would like to and feel you have a contribution to make to society, then pushing retirement back to 60 would seem to fit in with the Government's broader intentions.
Ironically, it might also keep a few extra people in, thus getting the benefit of the wisdom, experience and sheer native cunning won over years of dodging the enemy and the desk officer. After all, in the current climate retiring at 55 will leave most people wondering what to do for the next 5-10 years. Unless you have specialist skills or have reached a high enough rank to be attractive to industry for your contacts in the system, most of us will be sitting there wondering what's next while we wait for the official state retirement. Another 5 years of guaranteed income would probably be seen as an attractive option for some no doubt.