United States Armed Forces oath of enlistment



Upon enlisting in the United States Armed Forces, each person enlisting in an armed force (whether a Soldier, Sailor, Coast Guardsman, Airman, or Marine) 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 enlistment period, which for a first-time enlistee is typically six years, which can be a combination of active duty and time spent in a reserve component, 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.