United States Military Entrance Processing Command

USMEPCOM is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois and operates 65 Military Entrance Processing Stations (MEPS) located throughout the United States.

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.

USMEPCOM does not process commissioned officer candidates entering the U.S. armed forces through the five U.S. service academies or college and university ROTC programs.

College/university graduate candidates for the services' various officer candidate schools and USAF officer training school accession programs will initially process via a station of USMEPCOM if they have no prior active or inactive military service or if they have not been previously medically qualified while on a military contract through another commissioning program such as that prior to the final two years of college/university level ROTC.