the Armed Forces
A five-year nationality check could reshape military hiring
The proposal from Representative Dale W. Strong would reach original enlistments and appointments in the Armed Forces. Defense officials would also have to identify current members from covered nations who entered as lawful permanent residents.
The TRUST Act would make some foreign nationals ineligible for military service and add a five-year review for officer appointments. Its sponsors say the change is meant to reduce espionage, sabotage and foreign influence risks.
- The bill would bar enlistment for nationals of a covered nation.
- Officer appointments would face a five-year nationality lookback.
- The countries covered are defined elsewhere in federal law.
- New restrictions would start 180 days after enactment.
A federal proposal would close one of the most consequential entry points into public life. Under the TRUST Act, foreign nationals from certain adversary countries could be blocked from enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces, and the same nationality test would also reach appointments into the military.
For people who see military service as a job, a path to citizenship, or a long-term career, the change would be blunt. Instead of leaving room for individualized screening, the bill would make nationality itself the disqualifier for a defined class of applicants.
A blanket rule, not a case-by-case review
The bill from Representative Dale Strong of Alabama, with Representatives Barry Moore and Eli Crane as cosponsors, would amend title 10 of the U.S. Code. For enlistment, it says no person who is a national of a “covered nation” may be enlisted in an armed force. For appointments, it would require that a person not have been a national of a covered nation during the five years before appointment.
The measure does not spell out the covered countries in the text provided. Instead, it points to an existing definition in title 10, which means the list would come from another section of federal law rather than from the bill itself.
Why the sponsors say the bar is needed
Congressional findings in the bill frame the Armed Forces as the country’s ultimate defense and say loyalty is paramount to national security. The sponsors argue that allowing nationals of adversary countries to serve creates an unacceptable risk of espionage, sabotage, foreign influence and the compromise of sensitive information, technology and operations.
The proposal also says the current process for assessing loyalty, while comprehensive, is not enough to reduce what it calls an inherent and systemic risk. If enacted, the restrictions would apply to original enlistments and original appointments 180 days after enactment, and the Defense Department would have to report within a year on service members who are nationals of a covered nation and were lawfully admitted permanent residents when they entered the military.