What is the minimum amount of time you can decide you want to serve in the Military??

Question

or does it depend on what branch?

Army?
Navy?
Air Force?

Answer 1

The minimum Service commitment for each Branch of the military is 8 years.

That commitment can be served in different ways.

You can go active duty for 2,4 or 6 years.

All Branch's of the Military now have 2 yr enlistments do to Congress passing the National Call to Service Law.

For 2 year enlistments:

you would serve 2 years on active duty,
2 years in the drilling Reserve or National Guard
then 4 years on the IRR( IRR is non drilling ready reserve)

For 4 or 6 year enlistments:

You would serve 4 or 6 years on active duty
Then would have to serve the remaining 4 or 2 years either in the IRR or in the Reserves or National Guard.

The service would transfer you to the IRR after your active duty time, but you could on your own enlist in the Reserve or National Guard to finish your 8 year total commitment.

Answer 2

So.. you're saying you want to serve, but just a little bit? It's only your decision to make to a certain degree... When you enlist, you live by the rules of the branch in which you serve.

If you truly want to serve, then depending on which career path you choose, the enlistment time may be different. I know when my son enlisted, they required a "5 year active + 3 year reserves" enlistment from him, because the career path he chose required 18 months of advanced schooling. I believe other MOS's have a 4+4 contract... So, a total of 8 years typically.

However, because of the way your question is worded, it sounds like you don't really WANT to be in the military. Think it through, it's about a lot of sacrifices... but if you are willing to make those sacrifices (time with your family, missed holidays and family events, etc) you can get some great training.

Answer 3

Active duty allows 2x2, 2x4, 4x4, 6x2 (where the first is the number of active years and the second is the number of reserve years). Not sure what the requirements are for inactive ready reserve (IRR), but I would be surprised if this comprised the remaining years adding up to a total of eight years. The IRR is basically a list of soldiers who no longer train or serve (inactive), but could be called up (a very rare thing) if needed. The National Guard requires 0x6x2 (0 active, 6 reserve, 2 inactive). Note, that activation of a unit places all soldiers on an indefinite program called Stop Loss, which denies them the ability to leave their unit (either transfer or move to the IRR). Stop Loss removes any notion of minimum time of service (and it happens frequently these days), obligating the soldiers affected by it to serve indefinitely (until the Stop Loss is lifted).

Answer 4

It is all the same, it is a total of 8 years minimum. The amount that you do "active" depends on the MOS, or your job. But the total is always 8.

So, let say you go 11B (infantry in the Army) you can do 3 years Active or Active Reserves then 5 Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR).

What IRR means is that the military can recall you to active status without reason or warning for the time you have remaining on your contract.

Answer 5

THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS: THE MINIMUM TO SIGN UP NOW IS 2 YEARS, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE THAT THERE IS AN 8 YEAR COMMITMENT WHEN YOU SIGN UP. IF YOU SIGN UP FOR 2 YEARS, THEN WHEN YOU GET OUT, YOU WILL BE PLACE IN IRR. THE INACTIVE READY RESERVE. THEY WILL ACTIVATE YOU IN THE RESERVES FOR THE REMAINING OF THE 8 YEARS. SO, A TWO YEAR COMMITMENT WILL GET YOU 6 MORE YEARS IN THE RESERVES, I WHICH YOU WILL PROBABLY BE DEPLOYED. ALSO, ONCE YOU JOIN, IF YOU ARE IN THE ARMY AND YOUR 2 YEARS IS UP, THEY CAN INVOLUNTARILY EXTEND YOU IN THE ARMY FOR AS LONG AS THE ARMY SEES FIT, NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE GOING ON, THEY WILL MAKE YOU STAY IN THE ARMY AS LONG AS THERE IS A STOP LOSS GOING ON. SO BE CAREFUL AND MAKE SURE THAT YOUR RECRUITER TELLS YOU EVERYTHING

Answer 6

It must have changed since the 1990's because it really used to be 8 years total. Generally for active duty you'll do 4 years active and 4 years "inactive reserves". That means you aren't required to do anything unless they call you, and that would only be for a major war.

If you go reserves, the contract is still 8 years, but in the reserves you do 'weekend warrior' stuff for a longer period (6-8 years).

But once your 8 years is up, you are 100% free.

Answer 7

The national guard has something called "Try One". The navy has an apprenticeship program that is two years, but unless you want to spend those two years doing the worst and greasiest jobs imaginable, don't do it.

The important thing to remember is, when you join, you sign up for eight years altogether. Whether you do four years active and four in the inactive reserves, or four in one branch and four in another, you are committed to those eight, so they can call you up after your discharge.

Answer 8

You should check with your local recruiter, but I believe the Army is for 2 years minimum. You will have 6 years following that they can call you back to active duty. That is very unlikely.

Answer 9

in case you will end look into turning out to be to be an officer, greater accountability, and greater pay (helps with paying those loans). The GI invoice is a earnings you have as quickly as you connect. you need to comply with serve a minimum of four years from the date you're taking the money/finished the education it is going to pay for. you may no longer use it to pay your student loans. however the concerns Prancing... lays out are sturdy ones to think of roughly.

Answer 10

You can enlist in the Army for two, three, four, five or six years.

You can enlist in the Marine Corps for three, four or five years.

Initial enlistment in the Navy ranges from three to six years.

It's difficult to find Air Force enlisted periods online, but it looks like two to six years