Independent study resource — not an official Department of Defense website

How this site sources its material
Publication index
AR 635-200

Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations

AR 635-200 governs administrative separation of enlisted Soldiers on active duty: the bases for separation, the characterization of service, and the procedural rights that attach. Company and battalion leaders use it for chapter actions; the separation authority and the servicing judge advocate drive the process. Get legal review before initiating anything.

Open the official record
Type
AR
Edition verified
June 2025

What to take from it

  • Sets the bases for administrative separation and the required characterization of service.
  • Characterization can be honorable, general (under honorable conditions), or under other than honorable conditions.
  • Certain separations require notification or an administrative board depending on service time and characterization.
  • Separation authority rests with a specified commander, not with the initiating chain of command.
  • The 30 June 2025 major revision supersedes the 28 June 2021 edition; AR 135-series regulations cover Reserve Component separations.

These points are our summary, written for recall. They are not a substitute for the publication and they will not cover everything a board can ask. Read the source.