Felony waiver A felony waiver is special permission granted to United States military recruit with a felony on their criminal record . Some crimes that are considered to be misdemeanors according to respective state law may be , according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice , considered felonies and thus would require a felony waiver . Occupations requiring high level security clearances are usually closed to individuals seeking felony waivers . They are increasingly being issued by the U . S . Army and U . S . Marine Corps to bolster forces that are strained by the demands of the ongoing War on Terror . This is a more common practice today than in the past , along with the usage of the stop - loss policy . US Representative Henry Waxman of California is the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee . Upon releasing data focused on felony waivers , Waxman acknowledged public sentiment regarding the usage of felony waivers , stating that " Concerns have been raised that the significant increase in the recruitment of persons with criminal records is a result of the strain put on the military by the Iraq war and may be undermining military readiness . " Usage . United States military recruiting standards vary according to branch ; however , most felonies are excluded from the felony waiver . A felony that occurs below the age of criminal responsibility is more likely to be waived ; likelihood reduces if the felony occurred as an adult . According to the U . S . Army , " In either case it all comes down to the type of offense and how long ago it was . " Waivers must be approved by an officer who is ranked as a brigadier general or above , and recruits must have written recommendations and endorsements from community leaders illustrating they would be a good candidate for military service . Frequency . Data released by the U . S . House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform showed the number of soldiers admitted to the Army with felony records doubled from 249 in 2006 to 511 in 2007 . The number of Marines with felonies rose from 208 to 350 . According to the U . S . Army , 15 percent of recruits needed waivers in the 12 - month period ending on September 30 , 2006 ; 18 percent of the recruits needed them in the fiscal year ending September 30 , 2007 . The total number of sailors who received felony waivers was 48 in 2006 and 42 in 2007 . There were no Air Force recruits with waivers for felony convictions in 2007 . Crimes . In 2007 more than half of the Army ' s 511 convictions were for thefts , ranging from burglaries to bad checks and stolen cars . Another 130 were for drug offenses . The remainder included two for manslaughter ; five for sexual crimes , including rape , incest or sexual assault , and ; three for negligent or vehicular homicide . Two received waivers for terrorist threats including bomb threats in 2007 . 235 of the Marine Corps ' 350 waivers were for various types of thefts in 2007 , and another 63 were for assaults or robberies that may also have included use of a weapon . The remainder included one for manslaughter in 2007 ; four for sex crime s ; and five for terror threats , including bomb threat s . The Navy ' s convictions were mostly for a variety of thefts or drug and drunk driving convictions , with two for terror or bomb threats in 2007 .