The Air Force and Space Force are raising the maximum age for applicants to enlist as the services continue to search for ways to battle ongoing recruiting struggles.
Those interested in joining the Air Force or Space Force will have until they are 42 years old to sign up, a three-year rise in the age limit that was previously set at 39.
The change means that the two branches will now be accepting the oldest recruits of any Department of Defense military branch.
Brig. Gen. Chris Amrhein, the Air Force Recruiting Service commander, said the change allows the military to identify "opportunity for talent out there."
"Make no mistake, we are not lowering any of our standards," Amrhein told Fox News. "Someone who is 42 still has to meet the same accession requirements as younger applicants."
In a statement, Leslie Brown, chief of public affairs for the Air Force Recruiting Service, said raising the age limit to 42 allows an airman or guardian to serve a full 20 years, since the retirement age is 62.
The move comes after the Air Force missed its recruiting target for the first time since 1999, falling short by nearly 3,000 recruits, according to the Air Force Times.
With the change, the Air Force and Space Force now have the oldest potential recruits among all Department of Defense branches. The Navy has the second highest maximum age requirement, at 41 years-old. The maximum age to join the Army is 35, and to join the Marines is 28.