Think the military isn’t for you? The Pentagon is asking you to think again.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that the U.S. military will be reviewing their recruiting qualifications. Specifically when it comes to fitness, tattoos, and marijuana use.
Previously, the military has had fairly strict fitness standards, varying standards on tattoos depending on service, and a service-wide ban on marijuana use.
However the military is looking to ease up on some of these requirements.
As more and more of the United States’ youth are obese, that leaves a smaller pool of potential recruits for the military. Because of this, the pentagon may now allow out of shape recruits to join the military and then whip them into shape once they arrive at bootcamp.
Tattoo restrictions may also be reviewed, according to Carter. Previously, tattoos on the hands and neck were largely restricted service-wide, with varying standards by service on tattoos below the elbows and knees.
Certain services have already begin to change these however, as the Navy announced back in april that it would allow sleeve-length tattoos, and the Army changed its regulation that previously allowed only four tattoos below the elbows and knees.
Lastly, the military may review their policy on marijuana use. With marijuana now legal in some states, and what appears to be many more to come, this puts the Pentagon in a bind. Before, if any active duty personnel tested positive for marijuana, they were to be kicked out of their service. Some services even barred recruits for previously recreational drug use.
The military is looking into these expansions in order to draw more recruits to the cyber warfare field, which is considered to be the future of the military by many. Defense Secretary Carter has made modernizing the military a top priority since he took office, and looks to ensure the military’s requirements aren’t “Unnecessarily Restrictive” to new recruits.
