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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§20501 Authority to establish procedures to consider the separation of officers for substandard performance of duty and for certain other reasons

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle F— - Alternative Military Personnel Systems › Part PART I— - SPACE FORCE › Chapter CHAPTER 2011— - SEPARATION OF OFFICERS FOR SUBSTANDARD PERFORMANCE OF DUTY OR FOR CERTAIN OTHER REASONS › § 20501

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Air Force must set rules to review any active-duty Space Force officer’s record at any time. An officer must be asked to explain why they should stay on active duty if their performance is below standards set by the Secretary of Defense or if they fail the qualifications in section 20403. They must also be reviewed for misconduct, moral or professional failure, or if keeping them is not clearly in the national security interest. These rules must follow any limits the Secretary of Defense sets.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §20501

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary of the Air Force shall prescribe, by regulation, procedures for the review at any time of the record of any commissioned officer (other than a retired officer) of the Space Force in a space force active status to determine whether the officer shall be required, because of a reason stated in paragraph (2), to show cause for the officer’s retention in a space force active status.
(2)The reasons referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:
(A)The officer’s performance of duty has fallen below standards prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.
(B)The officer has failed to satisfy the standards and qualifications established under section 20403 of this title by the Secretary of the Air Force.
(b)(1)The Secretary of the Air Force shall prescribe, by regulation, procedures for the review at any time of the record of any commissioned officer (other than a retired officer) of the Space Force in a space force active status to determine whether the officer should be required, because of a reason stated in paragraph (2), to show cause for the officer’s retention in a space force active status.
(2)The reasons referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:
(A)Misconduct.
(B)Moral or professional dereliction.
(C)The officer’s retention is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security.
(c)Regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force under this section are subject to such limitations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 20501

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73