HI SR34

Urges the United States Congress to raise the minimum age for military combat service from eighteen years of age to twenty-one years of age.

Cites neuroscience research showing that adolescent brains continue developing until approximately twenty-five years of age, with the prefrontal cortex developing last.

Notes that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for impulse control, problem solving, and understanding long-term consequences, and that underdeveloped brains operate primarily from the amygdala, associated with emotion, aggression, and impulsive behavior.

Argues that raising the minimum combat age would allow the military to provide additional training to recruits and better prepare them for battlefield realities, including the possibility of injury, capture, or death.

Directs that certified copies be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and all members of the United States Congress.