They aren't going to kick out Shamans and such though, simply because theyre too rare to pass up.

Chaos Magicians, which, since they believe mana is the computer code of the world, are strangely more orderly than most other traditions).

Well of course they would prefer Hermetics (or Black Magicians, which are quite similar to Hermetics. or Chaos Magicians, which, since they believe mana is the computer code of the world, are strangely more orderly than most other traditions). They aren't going to kick out Shamans and such though, simply because theyre too rare to pass up. Especially since, as we noted, the private sector is much more enticing for the awakened.

Again though, what would the army do with adepts? Mystic adepts would probably get treated the same as mages (depending on how much they devote towards adept powers), but what would happen to Physads (assuming a warrior path, since the other paths would get put in intelligence/other)? Would they be integrated with the normal troops, since their function isn't terribly different, or would they have their own section within the Thaumaturgical branch?

Yeah, was someone drunk when they were coming up with that one?
"Okay, we have this writeup for a tradition that treats magic like the ability to hack reality and act more like computer programmers than normal mages, but we don't have a name for them yet. Any suggestions?"
"Yeah, Chaos Mages!"
"What, they are the least chaotic tradition we've made so far."
"Well, throw in some random stuff about them using holy symbols and rituals from other traditions, that makes them random."
"But..."
"Here, have a fifth!"
*5 minutes later*
"Alright, the Chaos Mages are in!"

Why they called it deluded in Digital Grimoire is a mystery to me.

...social adepts would probably be psy-ops.

In regards to the comments about psionics: While it might be a preferable approach from the military's standpoint, you can't force someone into a tradition and with psionics regarded as a joke in 2070, there'll be pretty few psionic traditioned awakened around.

Yeah, but why are they a joke? If you look at 4th edition, magic is pretty sterile, you don't need higher beings or religion at all. Psionics is a perfect fit for the game mechanics.

focus only on the advancement of their own personal power. You can't be sure of their loyalty at all

He also dropped a lot of acid.

The GURPS Magic approch to that always seemed reasonable. If you were really good you didn't need all the crutches like the chanting and gesturing. You could just think someone dead. But the average starting spell caster needed all the help he could get.

I dig that.

It's too bad Shadowrun 4e went the opposite way, and allows you to add the chanting etc. back in as an experienced mage (via Centering).

The GURPS Magic approch to that always seemed reasonable. If you were really good you didn't need all the crutches like the chanting and gesturing. You could just think someone dead. But the average starting spell caster needed all the help he could get.

That's rather wonky yeah. Maybe one day I'll sit down and create an actual aspected wizard or something, someone who does use all that stuff. I wonder if the BP benefit will even be noticeable?

Ugh, the Aspected stuff is terrible. You majorly cripple your character for 5-10 extra BPs.

Add to that the complications caused by Tradition and Mentor spirits. AFAIK, tradition isn't entirely free choice; not every tradition will work for every person.

The military probably favors the Hermetic tradition. It's rational, well-understood and described. Those are people who went to college to learn magic, and they do better in a "straight" environment than say, a Cat Shaman. So the mages attached to more regular armed units will usually be Hermetics.

Of course, mages are too valuable to pass up even if they're in a strange tradition, but certain ones (Black Magic, Native American Shamanism, Shinto, Voodoun) would tend to be considered untrustworthy by the UCAS. The rest is likely assigned to more freewheeling, dress-casual parts of the army.

Mentor spirits are another thing:
Bear +2 to Health, +2 to resist P damage, but berserk rages.
Cat +2 to Illusion and Gymnastics or Infiltration, but issues with incapacitating targets instead of playing with them
Raven +2 to Manipulation and Air spirits, but they can't resist abusing others' misfortune to their own advantage
Shark +2 to Combat and Water spirits, but berserk rages
Trickster +2 to Illusion and Con, but can't resist trickstering, even your allies
Wolf +2 Combat and Beast, but they don't like to retreat
Adversary +2 to Manipulation and +2 to Counterspelling or Banishing, but they don't respond well to orders

I could go on, but the point should be clear; the mentors that provide bonuses relevant to the army often impose a hefty toll on the shaman's behavior as well.

I expect there'll be a lot of officers yearning for the days before the Awakening. Because those insufferable magicians are just too valuable to kick out.