A pass is permission to be away from one's
military unit
Military organization or military organisation is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer such military capability as a national defense policy may require. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation' ...
for a limited period of time. Time away on a pass is not counted against
leave
Leave may refer to:
* Permission (disambiguation)
** Permitted absence from work
*** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee
*** Annual leave, allowance of time away ...
, the annual allotment of days off from duty.
Types of passes
*''Normal off-duty hours'' — granted to personnel to allow them to go off their
military installation
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
whenever they are not required to be on duty, subject to recall at any time as needed, and revocable at the unit's discretion.
*''Regular pass'' — granted to allow personnel to be away for a designated period of time only. May be granted to those, such as
trainees
A trainee is commonly known as an individual taking part in a trainee program within an organization after having graduated from higher and technical courses.
A trainee is an official employee of the firm that is being trained to the job they were ...
, not eligible for a ''normal off-duty hours'' pass.
*''Three-day pass'' — the longest continuous pass granted allows a serviceman or servicewoman to be away for 72 consecutive hours. Often granted in recognition of special achievement or as a reward, especially as a way of granting a
three-day weekend
A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday.
Many countries also have four-day weekends, in which ...
.
By country variations
In the
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, a "Permanent Pass" known as Form 557 would be issued to servicemen of good standing and six-months service allowing them to leave the quarters after duty until midnight and no further than eight miles (or as otherwise restricted on the form). It could be endorsed with permission to wear plain clothes.
See also
*
Leave (U.S. military)
In the United States' military, leave is permission to be away from one's unit for a specific period of time. This includes all six service branches of the military and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Entitlement
Un ...
References
United States military policies
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