The US Navy is starting to enlist individuals who didn’t graduate from high school or get a GED, marking the second time in about a year that the service has opened the door to lower-performing recruits as it struggles to meet enlistment goals.
The decision follows a move in December 2022 to bring in a larger number of recruits who score very low on the Armed Services Qualification Test.
Both are fairly rare steps that the other military services largely avoid or limit, even though they are all finding it increasingly difficult to attract the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.
Under the new plan, Navy recruits without an education credential will be able to join as long as they score 50 or above on the qualification test, which is out of 99.
I pulled my son out of school in the 10th grade. Made him get his GED. After a couple years he decided to join the Navy. Major hassle. Even had to get my ex-wife (his step-mom) involved to write about what kind of student he was.
Finally got him in and he retired about 3 years ago as a CPO.