Army to set new criteria for officers

Looser rules could attract up to 600 new officers

Growth amid recruiting problems

Reserve, National Guard work on similar program

WASHINGTON - Faced with a need to expand the Army and ease recruitment problems, Army officials have decided to loosen the requirements for junior officer candidates - accepting prospects who exceed the current age limit by more than a decade, and permitting more flexibility to waive their minor criminal or civil offenses, according to a memo obtained by The Sun.

The May 25 memo, sent to division commanders and other generals, said the Army hopes to attract 300 soldiers up to age 42 to attend Officer Candidate School and become second lieutenants. Using the same age criteria, they also hope to attract an additional 300 civilians with college degrees as officer candidates. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve are working on similar programs, according to the memo.

Like West Point or a college ROTC program, Officer Candidate School is an avenue to becoming an Army officer, involving a rigorous 14-week training program followed by the Officer Basic Course, which includes physical training, classroom study and field exercises. A second lieutenant could be a frontline officer in charge of a platoon of about 30 soldiers or hold various low-level command assignments.

The new criteria establish a clear departure from current requirements, which state that applicants should not reach their "29th birthday prior to training" and should be in "good moral standing." The average age for an OCS graduate is 27, Army officials said.

According to the memo, soldiers ages 18 to 42 may apply and division commanders may recommend waiving minor civil or military offenses. One Army official described an example as underage drinking that might have occurred before an enlistment.

The revisions are being made to help meet several military goals. The Army embarked last year on an effort to increase the size of the force by 30,000 over the next several years. It is also dividing the Army into "modular" units that would require more officers. And overall the Army has been struggling since early this year to meet its recruitment goals.

Meanwhile, the active-duty Army, the Army Reserve and National Guard again fell short of monthly recruiting goals for first-time enlistments last month, officials said yesterday, though they are hopeful that in the coming months young people will sign up in greater numbers and that they can meet their yearly goals.