10 U.S.C. § 508
Section 508 · Reenlistment: qualifications
Amended 3 times on record
Applied in 12 court decisions — leading case Rich v. Secretary of Army (1984)
Most recently applied in 121 Fed. Cl. 248 - Stein v. United States (May 2015)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
No person whose service during his last term of enlistment was not honest and faithful may be reenlisted in an armed force. However, the Secretary concerned may authorize the reenlistment in the armed force under his jurisdiction of such a person if his conduct after that service has been good.
A person discharged from a Regular component may be reenlisted in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, Space Force, or Regular Coast Guard, as the case may be, under such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe.
This section does not deprive a person of any right to be reenlisted in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, Regular Marine Corps, Space Force, or Regular Coast Guard under any other provision of law.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2023—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 118–31 struck out “Regular” before “Space Force”.
2021—Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “Regular Marine Corps, Regular Space Force,” for “Regular Marine Corps,”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of authorities, functions, personnel, and assets of the Coast Guard, including the authorities and functions of the Secretary of Transportation relating thereto, to the Department of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 468(b), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.