Why is the military oath so different between enlisted and officer?

2024-11-14T19:15:52-05:00

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."

Response by Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin made Nov 14 at 2024 7:29 PM

2024-11-14T19:29:55-05:00

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.

Response by SGT Lorenzo Nieto made Nov 18 at 2024 7:40 AM

2024-11-18T07:40:59-05:00

Because the enlisted have to do all the work lol.

Response by SFC Marc W. made Nov 20 at 2024 9:38 PM

2024-11-20T21:38:50-05:00

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.