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In the November 8 memo, Esper states that military service secretaries can nominate an athlete for a waiver after determining there “is a strong expectation that a Military Service Academy cadet or midshipman’s future professional sports employment will provide the Department of Defense with significant favorable media exposure likely to enhance national level recruiting or public affairs missions.”
Esper’s memo contained two important caveats. It took effect on November 8, 2019, which means the graduating class of 2020 will be the first impacted. Also, it decreed that athletes approved for the waiver would not be commissioned as officers immediately following graduation.
Those two elements are why the new order cannot be applied to Song, who graduated from the Naval Academy last May and was commissioned as a Naval flight officer. The California native is waiting to receive orders to report to flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola.