how to start running JRE 1.5+ (US army website denying my access)

I am in the US Army Reserves and there is a website called DTS (Defense travel system) that i have to run off of when i travel. I retrieve all my travel vouchers and info on this site, but in order to do so its calling for me to run JRE 1.5+. to my understanding i already have this on my computer but for some reason this website isnt recognizing it? i dont know how to write code or change anything internally on my laptop. atleast not without a step by step instructor holding my hand. so what am i doing wrong? any advice? what do i need to do?

(Im running on macbook pro snow leopard)
-Ami

If you're running SL, you won't have Java 5 (also known as 1.5). You will only have Java 6 (also known as 1.6) which you can configure using the Java Preferences app (/Applications/Utilities). On the General tab, you should see two versions of Java 6 listed - a 32bit one and a 64bit one. It is possible that switching the order may help. You may also want to ensure that "within the browser process" is selected on the same screen. Give those a try and report back if you have any issues.

i did what you told me to do and its still not working. i think its critical for me to have 1.5 for this to run on my laptop. so what should i do next?

Try this. It helped me from militaryCAC.com:

DTS (Defense Travel System) has been upgraded to a Java applet instead of the proprietary DBSign. This should allow you to use DTS from your Mac. Some 64 bit Snow Leopard users will need this patch. If the patch still does not work, try running your Safari in 32 bit mode. More information can be found on the Gradkell's website.
NOTE: If you get a blank page after successfully logging into DTS trying to navigate to your authorizations or vouchers, Click the word Safari, Select Security, uncheck the box for Block pop-up windows.