Marine Corps bans underage Marines from deploying

Above: Members of The Young Marines, the official youth organization of the Marine Corps which claims 10,000 members, eight to 18 years old, in 46 states. Members attend a boot camp for physical conditioning, perform community service projects, and are expected to maintain high academic standards.

The Corps will no longer send 17-year-old Marines to war in an effort to comply with the Defense Department’s revised child soldier policy, according to a Corps-wide message released Sunday.

The Corps doesn’t accept applicants under 17, but 17 year olds can enlist with parental consent, according to the Military Personnel Procurement Manual.

The message, effective immediately, directs commanders to carry out the policy to comply with a March 23 memo from the principal deputy undersecretary of defense instituting more restrictions regarding child soldiers.

The Corps message amends a Marine policy released in 2003 directing commanders to take “all feasible measures” to ensure 17-year-old leathernecks “do not take a direct part in hostilities.” It allowed Marines under 18 to deploy as long as they participated in hostilities indirectly — such as gathering intelligence or transporting weapons.

Read the rest at Marine Corps Times

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