The oath of enlistment is a
military oath
Military oath, also known as the oath of enlistment or swearing-in is an oath delivered by a conscript upon the enlistment into the military service of the state military. Various states has different phrasing of the oath, with the common compon ...
made by members of the United States armed forces who are not
commissioned officers.
Description
Upon
enlisting in the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
, each person enlisting in an armed force (whether a
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
,
Marine,
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
,
airman
An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions.
In civilian aviation usage, t ...
, or
Coast Guardsman) takes an ''oath of enlistment'' required by federal
statute in . That section provides the text of the oath and sets out who may administer the oath:
Army Regulation 601-210, Active and Reserve Components Enlistment Program provides that:
There is no duration defined in the Oath itself. The term of service for each enlisted person is written on the DD Form 4 series, the contract which specifies the active-duty or reserve enlistment period. For a first-time enlistee, this varies from two to six years,which can be a combination of
active duty
Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, the equivalent term is active service.
India
The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be o ...
and time spent in a
reserve component
The reserve components of the United States Armed Forces are military organizations whose members generally perform a minimum of 39 days of military duty per year and who augment the active duty (or full-time) military when necessary. The reserv ...
, although enlisted reservists are subject to activation until the end of the eight-year initial military obligation.
Officers do not take the same oath as enlisted personnel, instead taking a similar
United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office.
See also
*
United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office
*
Ceremonial oath of the Bundeswehr
There were two types of soldiers serving in the Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces): regular units and conscripts. Consequently, there were also two types of oaths. Conscripts recited a pledge, since their service was compulsory and not unconditi ...
References
External links
*
{{US military navbox
Enlistment
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...
Military of the United States
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