Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 9/15/2009

Question
Haven't had contact with you for a while and since then, we contacted a recruiter who is somewhat interested in getting my son in the Army Special Forces.  It seems that the Army is going to recruit a lot of Special Forces as well as regular Army in Oct which is not too far away. He tried to get my son a waiver with the RE Code 2B and was unable at this time.  Maybe in Oct. Since you are active duty, have you heard of this and will he have a better chance to get into the Army with a waiver in Oct?
Thank you so very much for your answer and I am sorry to bother you, but my son is getting upset to say the least at all the different answers. I went to Fl. and spoke with a Special Forces Col. and he told me how many Special Forces they would need in Oct.  Have a great week.

Answer
Dear Wayne --

Yes, the new fiscal year starts in October, and the race to recruit next year's new Soldiers begins.  With the economy down, the military services recruited all their requirements well before the 2009 fiscal year's end.  Even recruits who did not need waivers were turned down this summer.  October through December will be the best months to enlist if your son requires a waiver.

Congress imposes a manning ceiling on each service, and we cannot be over that ceiling on 30 September of any fiscal year.  October opens the doors again so we can recruit to fill expected losses.  However this year, Congress has granted a slight increase in manning strength.  I believe that increase was focused on Special Operations and other skills needed for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Understand that if there are a lot of high quality recruits interested in Special Forces, the Army Special Forces recruiters are unlikely to offer waivers.  Further, the SF standards are very high and they offer fewer waivers than the regular Army or the Army Reserve does.

I do hope your son gets the opportunity to serve, and that he succeeds with his enlistment and military service.