The U.S. Navy is taking steps to enlist individuals who have not graduated from high school or obtained a General Educational Development (GED) credential. This move comes as the Navy struggles to meet its enlistment goals for the second time in about a year. The decision follows a similar move in December 2022 to recruit a larger number of candidates who scored very low on the Armed Services Qualification Test. While this is a fairly rare step for the military services, all branches are facing challenges in attracting young people who meet the physical, mental, and moral standards required for service.
Under the new plan, individuals without an education credential will be eligible to join the Navy if they score 50 or above on the qualification test, which is out of 99. The last time the Navy accepted recruits without education credentials was in 2000. Vice Adm. Rick Cheeseman, the Navy's chief of personnel, expressed the need to tap into the potential of thousands of individuals who visit recruiting stations each year but are turned away due to a lack of educational qualifications. He estimates that out of the more than 2,400 individuals turned away last year, up to 500 of them may have scored high enough to qualify for enlistment.
