The US Army has increased the maximum enlistment age to 42 years old and alleviated restrictions on recruiting people with prior marijuana convictions.
The enlistment age will officially change from 35 to 42 “for applicants with prior military service” on April 20, according to an Army Regulation report released last Friday.
The minimum age for the Army is still 18 — though 17-year-olds can enlist with parental permission.
Prospective recruits will also no longer need to secure a waiver if they have one conviction for possessing marijuana or other drug paraphernalia, according to the document.
The amendment falls in line with the widespread legalization of cannabis, which is in the process of being reclassified as a Schedule III controlled substance.
Still, the document noted that “[t]he Army does not tolerate the use of marijuana or harmful or habit-forming chemicals or drugs.”
Those with more serious drug-related offenses are still required to obtain a waiver to enlist.
The Navy and Air Force accept fresh recruits through their 41st and 42nd birthday, respectively. The Marine Corps has a strict cutoff at 28, though all four branches also consider age waivers on a case-by-case basis.
The changes come just as the Pentagon is prepping 3,000 Army soldiers for deployment to the Middle East in support of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.
Last Friday, the Pentagon also dispatched roughly 2,500 Marines aboard three warships to the Middle East — which is a weeks-long journey by sea.
That same day, President Trump told Fox News that he needed “numbers” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply is funneled.
Iran began allowing “non-hostile” ships to pass through the Strait on Tuesday, so long as they are “in coordination with Iranian authorities.”
US officials have claimed that the recent deployments are intended to send a clear signal to Iran while reassuring allies in the region.
Thirteen US service members have been killed since Operation Epic Fury launched on Feb. 28.