The Minister of National Defense issued Circular No. 25/2025/TT-BQP guiding the implementation of a number of articles of Decree No. 21/2009/ND-CP on regimes and policies for officers who stop serving in the army; officers in active service who died or passed away; officers in active service who are transferred to professional soldiers or defense civil servants, amended and supplemented a number of articles in Decree No. 52/2025/ND-CP dated March 1, 2025.
Accordingly, the deadline for considering and proposing to promote military ranks or raise salaries for officers when there is a retirement decision (taking a break from retirement preparation) is Clause 2, Article 4 of Circular No. 25/2025/TT-BQP.
The Circular clearly states that the period for considering and proposing to promote military ranks or raise salaries for officers when there is a decision to retire (ake a leave of absence) prescribed in Point b, Clause 1, Article 1 of Decree No. 52/2025/ND-CP is calculated according to the period for considering military ranks and salary increases for each military rank.
In which, the minimum period of holding a military rank or having had a salary increase for the first time must be 16 months or more (for a Major); the minimum must be 24 months or more (for Lieutenant, Senior Lieutenant); the minimum must be 32 months or more (for a Captain and colonel).
The Circular cited for example, comrade Tran Van A, born in March 1971, enlisted in September 1991, as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Military Command of Province C; Suppose that the comrade is decided by the competent authority to increase his salary to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the first time in July 2025.
According to current regulations, by the end of March 2027, comrade A will be 56 years old, the oldest age limit according to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; comrade will be decided by competent authorities to retire, with a pre-retirement leave period of 12 months, from April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028, receiving a monthly pension from April 1, 2028.
As of March 1, 2028, Comrade A has a period of salary increase to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for the first time for 32 months (from July 2025 to the end of February 2024). Thus, from March 1, 2028, he is eligible for consideration and proposal to be promoted from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel.
