At what age can soldiers enlist?

Answer 1

USC 10, Subtitle A, PART II, CHAPTER 31 § 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 forty-two 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. [emphasis added]

So, 17 with parental consent, or 18 without, and up to 42.

Answer 2

Under 10 U.S.C., 505:

The minimum age for enlistment into the US Military is 17.5 years with parental consent, 18 years without.

The Department of Defense (DOD) allows services to set lower recruitment maximum ages, as follows:

• Army 42
• Army Reserves 42
• Air Force 27
• Air Force Reserve 34
• Navy 34
• Naval Reserves 39
• Marines 28
• Marine Corps Reserve 29
• Coast Guard 27

Note that there are situations were older ages would be accepted. One is medical or JAG, where someone that has served on active duty would get that amount of time added on to the max age. (Example: I served 6 years. I could have been accepted into the JAG corps until age 40.)

Answer 3

Reenlistment requires that an initial enlistment contract is completed, and doesn't cover things such as enlistment into another branch of service after being chaptered out of the first branch prior to the completion of the initial enlistment.

Given that the minimum age for enlistment in the US military is 17 (with parental consent), and the shortest enlistment period (at least, that I'm aware of) offered is a two year contract, the minimum age at which a service member could reenlist would be 19 years old. I don't know how the other branches of service work, but, in the Army, once you reach the rank of Sergeant First Class (E7), any reenlistment is considered an 'indefinite' reenlistment. The maximum age for initial enlistment I believe is 36, and it is quite possible that a service member could continue reenlistment well into their 60s, so long as they were compelled into retirement before then. There would be more leniency on this in the reserve components than in the Regular Army.

Answer 4

Each branch is different:

Army 17-42

Marines 17-28

Navy 17-36

Air Force 17-36