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Requirements to join the United States (U.S.) Army

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The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution. It’s the oldest and most senior branch of the U.S. military in order of precedence. The Army is part of the Department of Defense (DOD) and is the largest of the five military branches. It handles major ground combat missions, especially operations that are ongoing. The Army Special Forces unit is known as the Green Berets for its headgear. Service members are known as soldiers. The reserve components are Army Reserve and Army National Guard.

As you proceed to learn about the requirements to join the United States (U.S.) Army, you may also be interested to know about the following.

Requirements to join the United States Army (USA)

Candidates wishing to join the United States Army (USA) must meet the following requirements.

Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. National, or a legal permanent resident alien (Green Card)
Must be between 17 to 35 (17-year old recruits require parental consent)
Have no more than two dependents
Pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test. (Minimum AFQT Score: 31)
Must be a high school graduate, have earned a GED or have met other high school equivalency requirements
Back Ground Check (Security and Financial checks) must be passed
Certain tests will be performed to verify that you meet the physical requirements of the Army. In addition to making sure you are in generally good health, with no disqualifying conditions, you will also be required to pass a drug screening test
There are weight and height requirements to make sure you are in shape for joining the Army
Must have no criminal record. A criminal record may disqualify you from military service

Height and weight requirements

Height will be measured in stocking feet on a flat surface with the chin parallel to the floor. The body should be straight but not rigid, similar to the position of attention. The measurement will be rounded to the nearest inch with the following guidelines: if the height fraction is less than 1/2 inch, round down. If the height fraction is 1/2 inch or greater, round up.

Weight will be measured and recorded to the nearest pound. Both height and weight will be officially taken at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). It is very important to be over your minimum or under your maximum as not meeting either one will probably either stop you from enlisting or, even worse, prevent you from going to basic training.

Below are the U.S. Army’s height and weight requirements for recruits to enlist.

For Men

Height (inches)	Min Weight	Age 17 – 20 Max Weight	Age 21 – 27 Max Weight	Age 28 – 39 Max Weight	Age 40 + Max Weight
58	91	–	–	–	–
59	94	–	–	–	–
60	97	132	136	139	141
61	100	136	140	144	146
62	104	141	144	148	150
63	107	145	149	153	155
64	110	150	154	158	160
65	114	155	159	163	165
66	117	160	163	168	170
67	121	165	169	174	176
68	125	170	174	179	181
69	128	175	179	184	186
70	132	180	185	189	192
71	136	185	189	194	197
72	140	190	195	200	203
73	144	195	200	205	208
74	148	201	206	211	214
75	152	206	212	217	220
76	156	212	217	223	226
77	160	218	223	229	232
78	164	223	229	235	238
79	168	229	235	241	244
80	173	234	240	247	250

For Women

Height (inches)	Min Weight	Age 17 – 20 Max Weight	Age 21 – 27 Max Weight	Age 28 – 39 Max Weight	Age 40 + Max Weight
58	91	119	121	122	124
59	94	124	125	126	128
60	97	128	129	131	133
61	100	132	134	135	137
62	104	136	138	140	142
63	107	141	143	144	146
64	110	145	147	149	151
65	114	150	152	154	156
66	117	155	156	158	161
67	121	159	161	163	166
68	125	164	166	168	171
69	128	169	171	173	176
70	132	174	176	178	181
71	136	179	181	183	186
72	140	184	186	188	191
73	144	189	191	194	197
74	148	194	197	199	202
75	152	200	202	204	208
76	156	205	207	210	213
77	160	210	213	215	219
78	164	216	218	221	225
79	168	221	224	227	230
80	173	227	230	233	236