- The U.S. Navy will now enlist individuals without a high school diploma or GED credential to meet recruitment goals, becoming the first service to do so since 2000.
- Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman believes as many as 500 of the 2,400 potential recruits turned away last year could have scored high enough on the qualification test to qualify for enlistment.
- The decision comes as all military services face challenges in attracting young people who meet the physical, mental, and moral standards required for service and as the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have impacted recruiting efforts.
Additional Coverage:
- No diploma? No problem! Navy again lowers requirements as it struggles to meet recruitment goals (newsbreak.com)
The U.S. Navy has announced that it will now enlist individuals who did not graduate from high school or obtain a General Education Development (GED) credential. This is the second time in the past year that the Navy has opened its doors to lower-performing recruits in order to meet enlistment goals. The decision comes as all military services are facing challenges in attracting young people who meet the physical, mental, and moral standards required for service. The Navy will allow recruits without an education credential to join as long as they score 50 or above on the Armed Services Qualification Test. This is the first time since 2000 that the Navy has allowed individuals without education credentials to enlist.
According to Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, the Navy’s chief of personnel, there are thousands of people who visit recruiting stations every year expressing interest in joining the Navy but do not have an education credential. Last year, over 2,400 individuals were turned away, but Cheeseman believes that as many as 500 of them could have scored high enough on the qualification test to qualify for enlistment. He has given orders to his recruiters to start the expanded effort and hopes that they have already reached out to all 2,442 potential recruits within the past 72 hours.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for military enlistment. Recruiting stations were shut down and access to high schools and public fairs, where recruiters traditionally found success, was limited. Additionally, the military struggled to compete with higher-paying businesses in a tight job market. Many companies began offering benefits such as college funding, which made them more attractive to young people considering their career options. Political divisions in the country and concerns about going to war also played a role in deterring potential recruits.
In the previous fiscal year, the Navy, Army, and Air Force all failed to meet their recruitment goals, while the Marine Corps and Space Force met their targets. The Navy fell short of its enlistment goal of 37,700 recruits, bringing in only 31,834. For the current fiscal year, Cheeseman has set a higher goal of 40,600 recruits.
The Navy’s decision to enlist individuals without education credentials is unique among the military services. The Army only accepts the lowest-scoring candidates into its Future Soldier Prep Course, giving them an opportunity to increase their scores before enlisting. The Navy also has a prep course but does not require an increased score for enlistment. The Army and Marine Corps require a high school diploma or GED equivalent, while the Air Force will only consider recruits without a diploma if they score 65 or higher on the qualification test. The number of recruits without education credentials is small across all services.
There are concerns among some military services that lower-performing recruits may have a higher likelihood of failing boot camp or causing disciplinary problems later on. Cheeseman acknowledges the risk but believes that it is manageable, stating that the Navy has enough capacity in boot camp and is willing to take the risk in order to expand the pool of potential sailors. Navy leaders have been discussing the possibility of enlisting individuals without high school credentials for some time and have now made the decision to proceed.