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Title 10—ARMED FORCES > Subtitle A—General Military Law > PART II—PERSONNEL > CHAPTER 31—ENLISTMENTS

This text was captured on Apr 17, 2026. It is a snapshot, not a live feed, so check the official code before relying on it.

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No person who is insane, intoxicated, or a deserter from an armed force, or who has been convicted of a felony, may be enlisted in any armed force. However, the Secretary concerned may authorize exceptions, in meritorious cases, for the enlistment of deserters and persons convicted of felonies.

(Added Pub. L. 90–235, § 2(a)(1)(B) , Jan. 2, 1968 , 81 Stat. 754 ; amended Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V, § 542(a) , Jan. 6, 2006 , 119 Stat. 3253 ; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title V, § 521(a) , Aug. 13, 2018 , 132 Stat. 1755 ; Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title V, § 532(a) , Dec. 18, 2025 , 139 Stat. 869 .)

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