The US Army's AR 601 210 update raises the maximum enlistment age to 42 for non-prior service applicants and decentralizes major misconduct waiver authority, with a published regulation date of March 20, 2026 and an effective date of April 20, 2026.

This policy shift follows the Army missing its enlistment targets by approximately 25% in fiscal year 2022, leading analysts to question if it is strategic optimization or structural desperation.

Sources for this episode are available at: https://nbn.fm/war-desk/episode/ep97

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