Potential U.S. military recruits take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery at Yokota Air Base, Japan, in 2021. (Yasuo Osakabe/U.S. Air Force)
Defense Department restrictions on civilian travel mean that some potential recruits will have to travel farther to take the military’s entrance exam, as remote testing centers cut back hours or close entirely.
The Army’s U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command, which administers the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery for all branches of the military, gave details about the reductions in a Facebook post.
The command can no longer transport test proctors to all testing sites due to the department’s recent requirement that travel by civilian employees be curtailed, according to the announcement on Friday.
The DOD uses the test sites to administer the ASVAB, the entrance examination taken by all prospective enlisted troops, and other proctored tests deemed necessary by recruiters. Scores on the multiple-choice ASVAB help determine what jobs may be available to incoming service members.
Test administration sites are typically classrooms on military installations or community college campuses, providing exam spots for potential recruits who live far away from one of the command’s 65 Military Entrance Processing Station facilities.
In the absence of an alternate testing site, prospective recruits must test at the nearest MEPS location, which could be hours away by car.
The command “is conducting analysis to determine which MET sites can remain operational using alternative means,” the Facebook post said, adding that the goal is to finish the analysis as soon as possible.
A Defense Department memo issued March 5 outlines the restrictions on civilian travel, including the immediate suspension of all travel not “in direct support of military operations or permanent change of station.”
The command’s ability to provide testing access is being impacted as a result of the directive, the Facebook post said.
MEPCOM did not comment on whether the travel restrictions would affect the availability of ASVAB tests at U.S. and DOD high schools, which are also proctored by civilian employees.
The command doesn’t expect a significant change to the number of applicants being shipped out to recruit training, according to a MEPCOM official who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
In February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on the social media platform X that Army recruitment has reached its highest level in 15 years.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday about the reduction in ASVAB testing site availability.
