The United States Army has officially raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42 years old, opening the door for millions of Americans who previously aged out of military service.
The updated policy applies to individuals seeking to join the Regular Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.
The new maximum age takes effect April 20, as laid out in the revised Army Regulation 601-210, published March 20.
The minimum age to join the Army remains 18, though recruits may enlist at 17 with parental consent.
Stars and Stripes reported that the updated enlistment age brings the Army in line with the Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, which all accept recruits up to the age of 42.
The Navy accepts recruits up to age 41, while the Marine Corps holds the strictest cap of any branch, accepting enlisted recruits only up to the age of 28.
The age change is not the only significant shift outlined in the updated regulation.
The Army also revised its stance on drug-related criminal records for prospective recruits.
The Hill reported that recruits no longer need a waiver for a single conviction of possession of marijuana or possession of drug paraphernalia such as bongs, roach clips, miniature spoons, and various pipes.
Previously, such a conviction would have required a waiver from the Pentagon and the passing of a drug test.
The regulation makes no changes to waiver requirements for other drug convictions. Marijuana possession, it should be noted, remains a federal crime even as many states have moved to legalize it.
Army officials said the waiver modification “accounts for changes in society,” and noted that the change applies to a single offense, while recruits with a “pattern” of convictions or behavior would still require a waiver.
This marks the second time in two decades the Army has pushed the enlistment ceiling to 42.
The service temporarily increased its maximum enlistment age to 42 in 2006 as it worked to fill its ranks amid major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, then dropped the age back to 35 in 2016.
The Air Force and Space Force were the most recent services to raise their maximum enlistment age, moving it from 39 to 42 in 2023.
Research has backed the case for enlisting older Americans.
Fox News reported that a 2022 RAND report recommended the Army increase the maximum age for enlistment, saying that older recruits represent a potential growth area and that the quality of older recruits was generally “high.”
The RAND study found recruits between 25 and 35 were about 15 percent less likely to wash out of initial training than younger men and women, and 6 percent more likely to reenlist.
Older recruits were described in the study as “of higher quality, more focused, and more motivated, as well as being ready to ship to basic training more quickly.”
The Army missed its recruitment goal by 25% in 2022, Fox noted.
The service has since recovered. In fiscal year 2025, the Army recruited more than 62,000 people, surpassing its goal of 61,000.
Unlike the age increases adopted by the Air Force and Space Force in 2023, which came directly in response to recruiting shortfalls, Military Times noted that the Army’s current change arrives at a time when the branch is meeting its targets.
