
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 10USC505]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                    Subtitle A--General Military Law
 
                           PART II--PERSONNEL
 
                         CHAPTER 31--ENLISTMENTS
 
Sec. 505. Regular components: qualifications, term, grade

    (a) The Secretary concerned may accept original enlistments in the 
Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or 
Regular Coast Guard, as the case may be, of qualified, effective, and 
able-bodied persons who are not less than seventeen years of age nor 
more than thirty-five years of age. However, no person under eighteen 
years of age may be originally enlisted without the written consent of 
his parent or guardian, if he has a parent or guardian entitled to his 
custody and control.
    (b) A person is enlisted in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular 
Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or Regular Coast Guard in the grade or 
rating prescribed by the Secretary concerned.
    (c) The Secretary concerned may accept original enlistments of 
persons for the duration of their minority or for a period of at least 
two but not more than six years, in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, 
Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or Regular Coast Guard, as the 
case may be.
    (d)(1) The Secretary concerned may accept a reenlistment in the 
Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or 
Regular Coast Guard, as the case may be, for a period determined under 
this subsection.
    (2) In the case of a member who has less than 10 years of service in 
the armed forces as of the day before the first day of the period for 
which reenlisted, the period for which the member reenlists shall be at 
least two years but not more than six years.
    (3) In the case of a member who has at least 10 years of service in 
the armed forces as of the day before the first day of the period for 
which reenlisted, the Secretary concerned may accept a reenlistment for 
either--
        (A) a specified period of at least two years but not more than 
    six years; or
        (B) an unspecified period.

    (4) No enlisted member is entitled to be reenlisted for a period 
that would expire before the end of the member's current enlistment.

(Added Pub. L. 90-235, Sec. 2(a)(1)(B), Jan. 2, 1968, 81 Stat. 754; 
amended Pub. L. 93-290, May 24, 1974, 88 Stat. 173; Pub. L. 95-485, 
title VIII, Sec. 820(a), Oct. 20, 1978, 92 Stat. 1627; Pub. L. 98-94, 
title X, Sec. 1023, Sept. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 671; Pub. L. 104-201, div. 
A, title V, Sec. 511, Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2514.)


                               Amendments

    1996--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104-201 amended subsec. (d) generally. 
Prior to amendment, subsec. (d) read as follows: ``The Secretary 
concerned may accept reenlistments in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, 
Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, or Regular Coast Guard, as the 
case may be, for period of at least two but not more than six years. No 
enlisted member is entitled to be reenlisted for a period that would 
expire before the end of his current enlistment.''
    1983--Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 98-94 substituted ``at least two 
but not more than six years'' for ``two, three, four, five, or six 
years''.
    1978--Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 95-485 redesignated subsec. (e) as 
(d). Former subsec. (d), which provided that in the Regular Army female 
persons may be enlisted only in the Women's Army Corps, was struck out.
    1974--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93-290, Sec. 1, struck out provisions 
which prohibited the Secretary from accepting original enlistments from 
female persons less than 18 years of age, and which required consent of 
the parent or guardian for an original enlistment of a female person 
under 21 years of age.
    Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 93-290, Sec. 2, substituted provisions 
permitting the Secretary to accept original enlistments of persons for 
the duration of their minority or for a period of two, three, four, 
five, or six years, for provisions which limited the Secretary to accept 
original enlistments from male persons for the duration of their 
minority or for a period of two, three, four, five, or six years, and 
from female persons for a period of two, three, four, five, or six 
years.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in sections 513, 519, 802, 16401 of this 
title.
