Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle E— - Reserve Components › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION › Chapter CHAPTER 1005— - ELEMENTS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS › § 10149
The President sets the rules, and the appropriate military secretary must run ongoing checks of Ready Reserve units and people. The checks must make sure units won’t lose too many members if called up, that the force has the right mix of military skills, that civilian experts aren’t kept in larger numbers than needed (unless their military skills are vital), that combat service is recognized, and that people whose call-up would cause extreme personal or community hardship are not kept in the Ready Reserve. A Ready Reserve member who is also a Member of Congress cannot be moved to the Standby Reserve or discharged just because they are a Member of Congress. Only the Secretary of Defense (or, for the Coast Guard when it is not part of the Navy, the head of the department that runs the Coast Guard) may order such a move, and then only for service needs while considering the member’s Ready Reserve duties. “Member of Congress” includes a Delegate, a Resident Commissioner, and a Member-elect. If screening finds someone should not stay in the Ready Reserve, the Secretary (or Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when appropriate) must either move them to the Standby Reserve, discharge them, or, if they qualify and ask, move them to the Retired Reserve.
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Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 10149
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73