Posted on Nov 14, 2024
Why is the military oath so different between enlisted and officer?
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I get the difference between enlisted and officer, but the enlisted oath includes ‘obey the orders of President of the United States’, and the officers oath does not. Why? It’s not a question of semantics. The National Guard oath is slightly different, but essentially the same. Here are the two oaths:
The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted):
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
The Oath of Office (for officers):
"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."
The Oath of Enlistment (for enlisted):
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."
The Oath of Office (for officers):
"I, _____ (SSAN), having been appointed an officer in the _____ (Military Branch) of the United States, as indicated above in the grade of _____ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter; So help me God."
Oath
Constitution
Enlisted
Commission
Edited 7 d ago
Posted 7 d ago
Responses: 3
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Because the officer is an appointed position in which they are held responsible for the orders they will issue. Enlisted are not held accountable for those orders (assuming they are lawfully issued) as they are following those from the President and/or the officers under his command.
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COL Randall C.
I'll add that the view of the Founding Fathers was that the military leadership should not swear loyalty to any one individual in the government* (even the one who the sole authority to appoint them as a military officer rested with) and would instead swear to support the ideals of the Constitution.
This was reflected as the very first law passed by the newly formed Federal Congress after the Revolutionary War was for military officers and senior government officials to simly swear to "support the Constitution of the United States".
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* Of note, the British officers at that time swore an oath of loyalty to King George III specifically and the Founding Fathers found that to be abhorrent to the newly formed nation.
This was reflected as the very first law passed by the newly formed Federal Congress after the Revolutionary War was for military officers and senior government officials to simly swear to "support the Constitution of the United States".
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* Of note, the British officers at that time swore an oath of loyalty to King George III specifically and the Founding Fathers found that to be abhorrent to the newly formed nation.
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Tongue in cheek:
The enlisted are fodder, officers are Xerxes.
Not so tongue in cheek:
As COL Randall C. pointed out, founding fathers did not trust executives for good reason. So supposing that officers were selected and appointed based more on ability and worthiness then when they disobeyed unconstitutional or illegal orders, they would have support instead of standing alone. However, that has all been awash in favor of a system that meets numbers and officers that pursue self-promotion.
The enlisted are fodder, officers are Xerxes.
Not so tongue in cheek:
As COL Randall C. pointed out, founding fathers did not trust executives for good reason. So supposing that officers were selected and appointed based more on ability and worthiness then when they disobeyed unconstitutional or illegal orders, they would have support instead of standing alone. However, that has all been awash in favor of a system that meets numbers and officers that pursue self-promotion.
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