If You Join the Army, Can You Just Quit?
There is no way to simply quit the Army once you are on active duty. You are contractually, and perhaps morally, obligated to see your commitment through. However, you could be discharged from duty early if you are physically or psychologically unable to perform your Army duties.
Resignation
You cannot resign your commission until you have completed eight years as a commissioned officer. Even when you have, you need to complete the resignation letter and send it to the appropriate command.
Forceful Resignation
Your service is NOT ‘at will’ as you are contractually (and by oath) committed to serving for the duration of your freely agreed to length of service.
Once that agreed to time is up, you are able to separate and discharge on schedule – unless circumstances require the military to keep you on-board due to mitigating circumstances (e.g. war). But you can forcefully resign from the military, and here are the steps below.
To apply for Resignation or Retirement, here are things you should note.
A soldier is ineligible to apply for the Resignation Form. Only a loved one, family, child, fiancé, sibling or close friend is eligible to apply, and you must do so with the consent of the deployed soldier.
All requests for resignation, deletion, deferment, must be submitted through the form and contact details below in accordance with applicable guidance, with the exception of requests based on operational or compassionate needs.
A forceful resignation from service, especially active service attracts a one time fee, which will be needed to process the request.
To also apply for retirement and its benefits, use the contact form below too. Use “Retirement’ as a subject.