Navy how long is enlistment

There is a contract a military enlistee will sign to serve a certain number of years, but the military also guarantees you a paycheck, living quarters, food, clothing, medical and dental care, and training. What is the time commitment you need to be a member of the United States Armed Forces?

There is a short answer as well as a longer explanation of all the options below. Two years is the shortest amount of time a new enlistee can sign up for active duty, however, there is a catch.

You actually have an eight-year commitment but you can perform this commitment as an active duty member, a Reservist, or Individual Ready Reservist IRR. This is a program but limited in scope compared to the majority of enlistments into the military: The National Call to Service - All of the services also participate in the Congressional - mandated National Call to Service Program.

Under this program, following basic training and an advanced training school, a member spends 15 months on active duty full time , followed by a minimum of two years in the active drilling Guard or Reserves, with the remainder of the total eight-year commitment in the IRR.

However, all the services except the Army strictly limit the number of folks who can enlist under this program each year. That's right — when you sign on the dotted line, you commit yourself for eight years. But the ways to serve can be in active duty, reserves, or Individual Ready Reserves.

However, most of these contracts are four to six years of active duty followed by the remaining years in the Reserves or IRR. The Reserves or National Guard duty is a part-time soldier but a way to complete your commitment with the military by going to drill one weekend per month, and two weeks per year. You are subject to be called to active duty should the need arise. In the IRR, individuals are not required to drill, nor do they draw any pay, but their names remain on a list and they can be recalled to active duty at any time until their total eight-year service obligation is complete.

In fact, for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has already recalled over 5, soldiers in the IRR back to active duty so far, the Army is the only service who has recalled IRR. Recruits should do everything they can to make the transition from civilian life to military life as seamless as possible. Starting or increasing the intensity of your exercise regimen will get your body in shape. It also helps to read about your chosen Service so you know what to expect in the weeks ahead.

The first few days at Basic Training are known as orientation also referred to as "Processing Week," "Reception" or "00 Week". This is where new recruits adjust to their new surroundings and learn the dos and don'ts of their respective branches. Also during orientation, new recruits might:. Starting at orientation, the actual training begins. This varies from Service to Service and lasts between eight and 12 weeks.

When recruits successfully complete Basic Training, they are prepared for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. As military personnel, they will go on to receive additional training, such as Advanced Individual Training or Technical Training, to develop the skills needed to do their specific jobs.

Once finished, they transfer to their next duty stations. This is where members of the Services put all their training to use by carrying out their assignments, performing their jobs and serving our country. Enlisted service members have ample opportunity to advance up the ranks. During their first four-year enlistment, service members are promoted a couple of times. There are also opportunities to become a noncommissioned or commissioned officer:.

Noncommissioned officers NCOs are higher-ranking enlisted personnel who play a crucial role in day-to-day military operations and are often referred to as the "backbone" of the Armed Forces.

Serving as the liaison between commissioned officers and lower-ranking enlisted personnel, they are responsible for providing advice and guidance to officers as well as leadership and training to lower-ranking enlisted personnel. To become a noncommissioned officer also referred to as petty officer in the Coast Guard , a service member must rise up through the enlisted ranks. A service member can only be appointed to noncommissioned officer if he or she is promoted by a higher-ranking officer.

Some enlisted service members make the transition into officer roles. Narrator: The Military Entrance processing station, or MEPs, is where applicants for military service go to complete the enlistment process. MEPs ensures that each applicant meets the aptitude, physical and behavioral standards set by the Department of Defense and service branches. The government pays for the accommodations for all military applicants preparing to go through the MEPs process.

Hotel staff explain what to expect the following day, including the rules of behavior and a list of prohibited items not allowed in the MEPs. After their briefing, applicants can enjoy hotel facilities and a special applicant rec room where they can hang out, get to know each other, play games and watch TV until p.

Applicants aren't allowed to drink alcohol or leave the hotel, but they can hang out with friends and family and the hotel public areas.

The rec room closes at p. They're going to need it. Breakfast is served very early so applicants are ready to board the MEPS bus on time. Be sure to eat a well-balanced breakfast and drink plenty of fluids before departing from the hotel.

Your body will need the fuel. It is free and served very early so applicants can make roll call at the MEPs bus at a. Applicants must wear underwear and neat, moderate, comfortable clothing. Piercings must be removed. Offensive wording or pictures are not tolerated and hats are not permitted inside the MEPs.

Prohibited contraband items are not allowed in the MEPs. See your recruiter for a complete list of prohibited items. The MEPS staff member briefs the applicants. Applicants will pass through a security screening on their way into the MEPs. Once inside, the MEPs applicants will stow their personal belongings in the spaces provided for that purpose. Earrings should be removed. They obstruct the headset for the hearing test. Each applicant must carry their driver's license, social security card, birth certificate and any requested medical records with them during processing.

Your recruiter can provide more details. Cell phones are only allowed in the waiting area. Some MEPs process as many as a hundred and fifty applicants in a single day. Processing may take from in the morning until at night. After the briefing with the MEPs commander, applicants meet with a representative of their chosen service branch, where they receive applicant name tags and are then sent to the control desk for instructions.

Name tags are to be worn visibly at all times until checkout. It's important for each applicant to stay alert and follow instructions throughout the day. Biometrics, including applicant photograph and fingerprints, are done early in the day and will be used whenever an applicant checks in or out of the station. Applicants must check in and out at each station to help ensure they're in the right place at the expected time.

The ASVAB is an intensive series of aptitude tests that help determine which military jobs the individual is best suited for.

Some applicants may have taken the ASVAB on the afternoon of the previous day, or earlier still at a satellite testing location near their home. The ASVAB measures reading comprehension and math skills as well as electronics, science and mechanical knowledge.

It takes up to three hours. Applicants may also be required to take special-purpose tests that assist the Armed Services in determining the best fit for particular jobs.

The next step is the medical examination. Tests will include a complete physical urinalysis, HIV, pregnancy, drugs and alcohol, the ortho neuro examination, which tests balance and coordination, and hearing and vision tests.

Your name tag will be used as a meal ticket at lunchtime. Lunch will be provided by the MEPs to all applicants at no cost. Once an applicant passes the physical testing, they meet with their service liaison about available jobs, incentives, salaries and ship out dates. In processing, applicants verify all the details of their contracts, and their fingerprints are taken for an FBI check. Family and friends pack the MEPS ceremony room to witness the stirring oath of enlistment ceremony.

Applicants will return to the MEPs on the date specified in their enlistment contract to begin their military service. After a follow up medical inspection, second oath of enlistment and final processing, the newest members of the nation's all-volunteer force board the bus for a ride to the airport and then on to their services initial training center.

Speaker 1: The most rewarding part of my day, hands down, is when I'm given the privilege of swearing in applicants into the Military. We run them through a series of many different things. We have to run them through a medical process, make sure they're qualified there.

Then we take their fingerprints, send them off to the FBI, make sure they're clear that way.