 Hi, and welcome to Sitrep, army news that affects you. You may have heard a lot about the new blended retirement system. With the December 31st deadline approaching, it is imperative that you make a final decision on what is best for you. Why is making a decision so important? The traditional retirement plan that is currently in place benefits those who serve 20 years. The blended retirement system was created to ensure that those who serve at least two years but may not necessarily serve 20 years are not left without. In the past, less than 20 percent of those who joined the military received a government retirement benefit after they left service. Those who joined before January 1st, 2018 and have less than 12 years in the service have the option of remaining in the current legacy retirement plan or opting into the blended retirement plan. If you are grandfathered into the current legacy plan and do not opt in by December 31st, you will remain in the legacy retirement plan. Something else to keep in mind is that once you opt in, you cannot change your retirement plan. This is a huge decision, but you don't have to make it uninformed. While you have the time, take advantage of all the information and resources you have readily available to you. For more information or for help in making your decision, you can visit militarypay.defense.gov forward slash blended retirement for helpful tools. If you have questions or topics for SITREP, let us know on Facebook or Twitter. Sergeant Cadet, out.