Thread undrift- I haven't seen any proposals lately that were going to get the ATP to military pilots w/o an FAA checkride. End of the year is supposed to reveal some instructor crossovers from mil to FAA CFIs, but that's another old thread.

Get your ATP the first hour you are eligible, period. To not do so is the waste of time, money and energy in the long run. Don't pay for it w/ a credit card or miss a kid's 529 payment- but get 'r done or you are limiting your career options. Fortune smiles on the prepared.