U.S. Army Raises Maximum Enlistment Age to 42
March 25th, 2026Via: Army Times:
In a sweeping change to its enlistment regulations, the Army has raised the maximum age for eligible recruits to 42, the service announced.
Changes highlighted in the memo, which was distributed this week and will go into effect in April, also include the removal of previous enlistment obstacles for recruits who have a single marijuana or drug paraphernalia conviction.
The announcement comes as the Army continues efforts to widen its recruiting pool after falling short of its Regular Army enlistment goals in 2022 and 2023 before rebounding in 2024.
The upper limit of the Army’s previous allowable enlistment age was 35, but waivers were sometimes granted for older enlistees.
