Military stops giving waivers to felons, drug offenders

“Quality” Recruits

Due to the recent economic downturn, the United States Army is seeing an uptick in what it calls “quality” recruits and has halted the practice of giving recruitment waivers to convicted felons and recent drug offenders, according to published reports Sunday.
“The developments mark a welcome turnaround for the Army, which has the military’s biggest annual recruiting quota and had in recent years issued more waivers for recruits with criminal records,” reported the Washington Post. “That, coupled with unprecedented strains from repeated deployments, led some senior officers to voice concerns that wartime pressures threatened to break the all-volunteer force.”
“Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, said, ‘We are not even going to consider’ applicants who test positive for drugs or alcohol, or have adult felony convictions such as assault, arson and robbery,” the paper continued.
“Previously, Army recruits had to wait six months — and before that, just 45 days — to reapply after failing a drug test, and some felons could apply for waivers, Army officials said,” reads the report. “Every day, the Army processed eight to 10 requests for such drug and felony waivers, Anderson said.”
Since the Army started handing out numerous waivers to felons and drug offenders, officials say there has been an increase in drug abuse among soldiers in Iraq and afghanistan. There have also been reports that members of US gangs are signing up for the Army and leaving identifying graffiti in the streets of Iraq.
“Reliable statistics on soldiers using banned substances are hard to come by. In Afghanistan, just 75 drug cases have been reported - half involving marijuana or hashish and half involving Valium - since the U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, data from a Freedom of Information Act request show. The Pentagon has not answered a separate request for figures on the war in Iraq,” reported Cox News.
“Military officials acknowledge that alcohol and drug abuse is a problem, as it is in American society.

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