National Guard Requirements: 10 Things You Should Know

No matter what rumors you hear, a person cannot just join the Army National Guard without meeting a lot of requirements.

I say this because there has been rumors floating that ISIS has infiltrated the United States Army National Guard because these terrorists can join easily.

They cannot join easily. No one can join the Army National Guard easy. There are requirements that must be met. In today’s post, I am going to give you 10 facts on National Guard requirements.

Top 10 National Guard Requirements to Join

#1: Age

To join the Army National Guard, a person must be at least 17 years old and not older than 35

#2: Must Meet Weight And Height Requirements

To join the Army National Guard, your weight must be within a certain range according to your height. To see if you fit, you can use the weight calculator here.

Men must be between 60 and 80 inches tall, and women must be between 58 and 80 inches tall, with body fat composition used to determine acceptable weights.

#3: Citizenship

To enlist in the Army National Guard, a person must be a United States citizen or permanent resident alien.

#4: Education

To enlist, a person of 17 must be a Junior in High School, have a High School diploma or a GED.

#5: Good Shape

To get into the Army National Guard, you will have to pass a physical fitness test that will consist of push-ups, sit-ups and a run which you will have to do in required times.

#6: ASVAB

Before joining, you will have to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, better known as the ASVAB test. This will determine what Army jobs you would be competent in.

#7: Drug Screening

You will have to pass necessary drug screening tests and have a Doctor’s prescription if you are required to take any medication.

#8: Eyes

While some think color blindness disqualifies you immediately, this is not true. It may disqualify you for certain jobs, but not all. Other eye requirements include:

not suffer from astigmatism over three diopters
not have hyperopia (farsightedness) over eight diopters
nor have myopia (nearsightedness) over eight diopters

#9: Ears

If a person has, or currently uses hearing aids, that is reason for disqualification. You must be able to hear pure tones at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 cycles per second in each ear averaging 30 decibels, with no individual level greater than 35 decibels.

#10: Lungs

Diseases such as asthma or bronchitis will be room for disqualification.

Final Thoughts

Last but not least, you will have to be willing to attend Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training before serving in your National Guard post.

No, it is not simple getting into the Army National Guard.

So do not believe the lies floating around that terrorists have infiltrated. There are just too many checks and balances to allow such a thing to happen.

If you have any questions or feedback on this post, just post them below.

Thank you.

National Guard Requirements: 10 Facts You Should Know