Did the Army just raise the maximum enlistment age?

The United States Army has officially raised its enlistment age limit to 42 from 35 and eased restrictions for people with marijuana convictions, a move that comes years after a period in which it struggled to meet its recruitment goals and as the country is engaged in a war with Iran. The updated enlistment requirements, published last week, bring the service’s age requirements more in line with other branches of the military, including the Air Force, which raised its maximum age for recruits to 42 from 39 in 2023, and the Navy, which increased its age cap to 41 from 39 in 2022. The updated requirements, which go into effect on April 20, also allow recruits with a single prior conviction of possession of marijuana or drug paraphernalia to forgo procuring a waiver from Army officials in order to enlist. Under the previous requirements, recruits with low-level marijuana convictions typically had to wait two or three years and pass a drug test to receive a waiver. While the policy for the regulations was first issued in 2023, the Army codified it last week in a regulation, which is an official, mandatory policy document, the Army said in a statement. Caption from article by Jonathan Wolfe, The New York Times.