The United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM or MEPCOM) is a major command of the U.S. Department of Defense. The organization screens and processes enlisted recruits into the U.S. Armed Forces in the 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) it operates throughout the United States.
Mission
left|upright|thumb|Military Entrance Processing Station in Columbus, Ohio
thumb|left|upright|Swearing in at a US Military Entrance Processing Station
USMEPCOM is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois and operates 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) located throughout the United States. Effective 1 January 1982, the Assistant Secretary of the Army changed the processing stations' names from Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Stations (AFEES) to MEPS. The command's motto is Freedom's Front Door, signifying that a service member's military career starts when they walk through the doors of the MEPS.
USMEPCOM is a joint service command under the direction of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, who in turn reports to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
MEPS process applicants for military service, putting them through a battery of tests and examinations to ensure that they meet the standards required to serve in the United States Armed Forces. These tests include vision, hearing, blood, and blood pressure tests, a pregnancy test (for women), an examination by a doctor, a height and weight check, urinalysis, a breathalyzer test, a moral/background examination, as well as the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB).