US Navy crisis: Standard drops to allow recruits without high school diplomas

The U.S. Navy will now consider applicants without high school diplomas, its chief of personnel said in an interview with the Associated Press on Friday.

The only academic requirement will be a score of at least 50 out of 99 on the military's qualification test. The Navy dropped its test score standard in December 2022 to bring in more recruits, but it didn't prove to be enough.

“We get thousands of people into our recruiting stations every year that want to join the Navy but do not have an education credential. And we just turn them away,” Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman told AP.

The last time the Navy accepted people without education credentials was in the year 2000, AP reported.

Cheeseman told the wire service that he hopes lowering the requirement will add up to 2,000 active-duty sailors.

“I need these sailors," he said.

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Why is the US Navy struggling to recruit members?

Recruitment at all levels of the military has been on the decline since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it very difficult for recruiters to have "the face-to-face kind of communication that is absolutely essential to recruiting efforts," Department of Defense Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference last month.

Also contributing to slow recruitment is obesity, drug use, physical and mental health problems, misconduct and aptitude, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, which released a report in 2022 that found that 71% of America's youth do not qualify for military enlistment.

Currently, only 23% of young people between the ages of 17 and 24 qualify to join the military, Ryder said.

The Department of Defense is working to increase education about the military to help with its recruiting. Things like "airshows, parades, sporting events and base tours," Ryder said. But ultimately, it's about having that intimate conversation with someone with military experience to break down stereotypes of military life, Ryder added.

In 2023, the Navy missed its recruitment goals by more than 7,450, according to Navy Recruiting Command. It also failed to meet its officer and reserve goals, according to the Navy Times.