EMAIL DETAILS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Vice President Joe Biden will have another military son to worry about as he helps chart America's course around the world.

Youngest son Hunter is joining the Navy.

The attorney and former lobbyist applied for a commission into the Navy Reserve as a public affairs officer and was selected, the Navy said Friday. Because Hunter Biden is 42, he needed a special waiver to be accepted, but that is not uncommon. He is one of seven candidates recommended for a direct commission for public affairs.

The direct commission process allows individuals to apply and become a reservist if they have particular skills or professional expertise. A board of senior Navy officers interviewed the candidates and made the recommendations.

Biden's oldest son Beau is Delaware's attorney general and an Army National Guard member who served a yearlong deployment in Iraq.

According to the Navy, Hunter Biden must serve three years of selected reserve status, during which he is available for active duty and must be prepared to deploy anywhere in the world. He then will be in the so-called Ready Reserve for eight years, which means he can be called back to duty under certain circumstances.

He will spend the next few months completing medical screenings and the security clearance process and would then be commissioned as an ensign. He will participate in a two-week training course in Rhode Island during the next year, and then do a military public affairs training course sometime in the next two years.

Joe Biden also has a daughter, Ashley.

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace contributed to this report.