After missing its recruiting goals for 2005, the Army has revised its standards for accepting new recruits and can now recruit high-school dropouts who do not have GEDs. Recruits without their GED will be enlisted as part of the Army’s “Education Plus” program and must meet other criteria, including passage of a physical exam and the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). Upon meeting this criteria, recruits will obtain GED assistance in order to help them pass the GED which they must do before beginning basic training.
Starting yesterday, the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard began offering this option. The Army will retain its current limit of only allowing 10% of new recruits to enlist with a GED rather than a high school diploma.
