Army Secretary Francis Harvey told reporters that his service would begin accepting more people who score in the bottom third of the military’s standard aptitude test—the lowest category suitable for service, according to DOD standards. According to the Baltimore Sun, the Army has already begun taking in new recruits—about four percent of the current crop of 73,000 recruits—who scored in this lowest category. The Army also has relaxed the standards at the other end of the scale: Formerly, 67 percent of all recruits score in the top third of the test, but now, only 60 percent of recruits must meet that bar.
Dozens of fighter jets gathered at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida last week to kick off one of the service’s biggest air combat exercises despite the government shutdown. More than 50 aircraft and 500 personnel are participating in Checkered Flag 26-1.
