Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 59— - SEPARATION › § 1176
Regular enlisted members who are within two years of qualifying for retirement under section 7314 or 9314, or of being moved to the Fleet Reserve under section 8330, must be kept on active duty until they actually qualify for retirement or transfer, unless they are retired or discharged sooner under some other law. Reserve enlisted members on active duty who are picked for involuntary separation, or whose enlistment ends and are denied reenlistment, cannot be discharged, denied reenlistment, or moved off active duty without their OK if, on the day they would leave, they have at least 18 but less than 20 years of service (computed under section 12732). If they have 18 to less than 19 years, they are protected until the earlier of the date they reach 20 years or the third anniversary of their would‑be separation. If they have 19 to less than 20 years, they are protected until the earlier of the date they reach 20 years or the second anniversary of their would‑be separation. Exceptions do not apply to separations for physical disability or for cause.
Full Legal Text
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 1176
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73