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.
The Air Force and Navy allow recruits over 40, while the Marine Corps caps enlistment at 28 but allows hopefuls who are 29 or over to request waivers.
The average age of Army recruits is currently higher than previous years, with new recruits entering the service with an average enlistment age of 22.7, according to Army data.
That figure, which reflects the average age of active-duty and reserve recruits so far in fiscal year 2026, may reflect a shift from recent decades, when the average age was 21.7 in the 2000s and 21.1 in the 2010s, according to data provided by Madison Bonzo, the Army Recruiting Division’s chief of media relations.
Army leaders say the change reflects how recruiters are increasingly seeking to reach a wider range of potential new service members.
In another change that opens up the possibility of Army service to a wider pool, the Army announced it will no longer require a waiver for one conviction of possession of marijuana or one conviction of possession of drug paraphernalia.
The change comes as more states legalize cannabis, even though its use remains prohibited for service members.
Applicants with more serious drug-related offenses will still need waivers.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.
