thumb|An Air Force Lieutenant Colonel administering the oath to a group of 150 enlistees (not pictured) at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum|Los Angeles Coliseum, 1988 ]]
thumb|A Marine re-enlisting in the Marine Corps by taking the oath of enlistment
thumb|A soldier of [[United States Army Europe and Africa|United States Army Europe taking the oath on Red Square prior to the 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade]]
The oath of enlistment is a military oath made by members of the United States Armed Forces who enlist.
Description
Upon enlisting in the United States Armed Forces, each person enlisting in an armed force (whether a soldier, Marine, sailor, airman, 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 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.
See also
- Ceremonial oath of the Bundeswehr
- United States Uniformed Services Oath of Office
- Oath of the Chinese Militia