Under a pilot program that was launched in New York in February and recently expanded to Los Angeles, the Army is waiving—for applicants who have certain skills—its requirement that recruits be U.S. citizens or green card holders. Through this program, the Army hopes to enlist 1,000 foreigners who have special language or medical skills and who are in the United States on temporary visas or have been granted asylum. As reported by The Los Angeles Times, response to the program has exceeded expectations, attracting applications from more than 7,000 people, many of them highly educated.

The program is aimed at addressing the shortage of soldiers with medical, foreign language and cultural abilities needed in the war on terror and peacekeeping efforts around the world. The Army seeks to enlist 333 healthcare professionals (including doctors, dentists, and nurses) and 557 people skilled in any of 35 languages, such as Arabic (but Spanish is not on the list). An additional 110 slots are earmarked for other services.