Under a new bill proposed by Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala), enlisted Army soldiers who are attending college would be allowed to enroll in ROTC and would be commissioned when they complete the course. The maximum age for an ROTC commission would be increased from the current 27 to 35. Shelby says that the move, which may become part of the 2002 Defense Appropriations Bill, would fill the shortage of junior officers with superbly-qualified men and women who already have military experience. Under currently policy, an enlisted soldier who completes a bachelor's degree in college is offered a chance to attend Officer Candidate School. Currently, 40% of officers come from ROTC, 20% from direct commissions, 18% come from service academies, 17% from officer candidate schools, and 5% from "unspecified sources".--Stephen V Cole