10 U.S.C. § 7446: Cadets: requirements for admission

To be eligible for admission to the Academy a candidate must be at least 17 years of age and must not have passed his twenty-third birthday on July 1 of the year in which he enters the Academy. To be admitted to the Academy, an appointee must show, by an examination held under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army, that he is qualified in the subjects prescribed by the Secretary. A candidate designated as a principal or an alternate for appointment as a cadet shall appear for physical examination at a time and place designated by the Secretary. To be admitted to the Academy, an appointee must take and subscribe to the following oath— “I, ____________, do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and bear true allegiance to the National Government; that I will maintain and defend the sovereignty of the United States, paramount to any and all allegiance, sovereignty, or fealty I may owe to any State or country whatsoever; and that I will at all times obey the legal orders of my superior officers, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.” If a candidate for admission refuses to take this oath, his appointment is terminated. satisfies the eligibility requirements for admission to that academy (other than the maximum age limitation); and was or is prevented from being admitted to a military service academy before the member reached the maximum age specified in such sections as a result of service on active duty in a theater of operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation New Dawn. A waiver may not be granted under this section if the candidate would pass the candidate’s twenty-sixth birthday by July 1 of the year in which the candidate would enter the military service academy pursuant to the waiver. Not more than five candidates may be admitted to each of the military service academies for an academic year pursuant to a waiver granted under this section. The Secretary of each military department shall maintain records on the number of graduates of the military service academy under the jurisdiction of the Secretary who are admitted pursuant to a waiver granted under this section and who remain in the Armed Forces beyond the active duty service obligation assumed upon graduation. The Secretary shall compare their retention rate to the retention rate of graduates of that academy generally. The authority to grant a waiver under this section expires on September 30, 2016 .” becomes 22 years of age while serving on active duty in the Persian Gulf area of operations in connection with Operation Desert Storm during the Persian Gulf War; or was a candidate for admission to the service academy under the jurisdiction of such Secretary in 1990, was prevented from being admitted to the academy during that year by reason of the service of such person on active duty in the Persian Gulf area of operations in connection with Operation Desert Storm, and became 22 years of age after July 1, 1990 , and before the end of such service in that area of operations. The term ‘Operation Desert Storm’ has the meaning given such term in section 3(1) of the Persian Gulf Conflict Supplemental Authorization and Personnel Benefits Act of 1991 ( Public Law 102–25 ; 105 Stat. 77 ; 10 U.S.C. 101 note). The term ‘Persian Gulf War’ has the meaning given such term in section 101(33) of title 38 , United States Code.”