Orders to Sentry is the official title of a set of rules governing sentry (guard or watch) duty in the United States Armed Forces. While any guard posting has rules that may go without saying ("Stay awake," for instance), these orders are carefully detailed and particularly stressed in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard. Also known as the 11 General Orders, the list is meant to cover any possible scenario a sentry might encounter on duty. All recruits learn these orders verbatim while at recruit training and are expected to retain the knowledge to use for the remainder of their military careers. It is very common for a drill instructor or (after boot camp) an inspecting officer to ask a question concerning the orders and expect an immediate, correct reply.

US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard

The General Orders for Sentries are quite similar between the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, the main differences being the titles of positions referenced in the orders. The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) also use the following General Orders to the Sentry. The U.S. Department of the Navy gives the General Orders for the U.S. Marine Corps as follows:

U.S. Army

The U.S. Army now uses a condensed form of orders, with three basic instructions. Previously it used the same eleven general orders as the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines.

U.S. Air Force Security Forces

The U.S. Air Force Security Forces also uses a condensed form, with three basics: