Are you considering joining the US Army? It’s so worth pursuing, this can be an excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth and open up worlds of opportunities. However it’s important to understand the requirements and physical demands before enlisting and knowing exactly what’s involved so you can be prepared. Read on to explore exactly what sort of requirements are necessary to join.
What are the requirements to join the Army?
First thing first, to join the US army you need to be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. Before being allowed to join, you would have to go through the citizenship procedure if you aren’t yet a citizen. This is because of national security concerns, as joining the military is a way to serve and protect a country, so for this reason it’s really important to make sure that only people who are legally authorized are able to enlist. You need to have a GED or high school diploma. This is because the Army want to make sure that its recruits have the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to handle the demands of military training. If you want to move onto a career which needs specialized knowledge or technical skills such as intelligence, engineering, or medicine, for example then you’ll need to have a high school diploma or equivalent as a foundation level of education to build upon. That isn’t all though. On top all of this, you need to pass a background investigation too. As you can imagine, the Army takes its moral standards really seriously, so you might not be allowed to enlist if you have a criminal past. The Army will consider certain types of criminal offenses on a case by case basis, things like traffic offenses, juvenile offenses and misdemeanors are sometimes accepted. Any offenses relating to violence, drugs or sexual offenses are immediate disqualifiers. For security reasons, the army have to make sure that no criminals, terrorists or anyone else that could be a threat are able to be enlisted so you will have your background thoroughly checked.
What is the age limit to join the Army?
You must also be at least 17 years old (with parental consent) or 18 years old (without consent) to be able to join the army. There’s a maximum age limit too which is 35. There are some roles though that can be done outside of these age ranges so it’s important to do your research about the specific job you want. While 17-35 is quite a small age range, the Army has specific physical and mental requirements for those who are enrolled, and by keeping age requirements are in place it means that soldiers are physically and mentally fit for the demands they’ll be put up against. If you have previous military experience, you might be able to join the Army up to age 40. And if you have specialized skills or experience that the Army needs, you may also be able to join above the age of 35.
What are the physical requirements to join the Army?
The Army is of course a physically demanding job, so it makes sense that soldiers need to be physically fit . There are certain physical standards in place that you will need to meet to be able to join. This includes height and weight standards, as well as physical fitness standards. When it comes to height and weight, this varies based on age and gender- you must fall within the correct BMI for your height, age and gender so this is something to double check before joining. Too heavy or too light? Work on correcting this so you can pass this part of the test with flying colors. The next element is the physical fitness test, you will need to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). This includes challenges such as a two mile run, press ups, and sit ups (candidates are tasked with doing as many as they can within a set time). The minimum passing score for each event varies based on age and gender. You may also be required to pass other physical tests as well as be able to meet other physical requirements based on the specific type of job and duties within the Army that you’re applying to do.
If you’re serious about joining the Army then it’s so worth preparing now, prepping and researching what needs to be done will help to set you up for success. Get yourself into the best shape you can be, not only will this improve your chances of being accepted but it will also allow you to be able to keep up once you’re in. Study hard by putting in the time, effort and research and generally make sure you’re ready for the challenges that ahead. This means getting yourself mentally in the right place, as lets face it, the mind is just as important as the body when it comes to overcoming obstacles and challenges in the army. This career path offers a wide range of opportunities for personal growth and professional growth, so it really could be an incredible journey for you and the best thing you will ever do!
If you’re planning on joining the army, what kinds of things have you done/ will you to to improve your chances of success? Is there anything in particular that worries you when it comes to being able to pass?