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Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§617 Reports of selection boards

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 36— - PROMOTION, SEPARATION, AND INVOLUNTARY RETIREMENT OF OFFICERS ON THE ACTIVE-DUTY LIST › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - SELECTION BOARDS › § 617

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Selection boards convened under section 611(a) must send a written report to the Secretary of the military department involved. The report must be signed by every board member, list the officers the board recommends for promotion, say that the board carefully reviewed each officer’s record provided under section 615, and say that a majority of the members believe the recommended officers are the best qualified to meet the service’s needs as described under section 615(b). The report also must name any regular or reserve officer the majority thinks should be required to show cause under chapter 60 or 1411. It must include any officer the board considered but did not recommend who asked not to be selected or who caused their own nonselection in writing under section 614(b). If allowed under section 616(h), the board must also list officers it wants placed higher on the promotion list and the order for them.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §617

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Each selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title shall submit to the Secretary of the military department concerned a written report, signed by each member of the board, containing a list of the names of the officers it recommends for promotion and certifying (1) that the board has carefully considered the record of each officer whose name was furnished to it under section 615 of this title, and (2) that, in the opinion of a majority of the members of the board, the officers recommended for promotion by the board are best qualified for promotion to meet the needs of the armed force concerned (as noted in the guidelines or information furnished the board under section 615(b) of this title) among those officers whose names were furnished to the selection board.
(b)A selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title shall include in its report to the Secretary concerned the name of any regular or reserve officer before it for consideration for promotion whose record, in the opinion of a majority of the members of the board, indicates that the officer should be required under chapter 60 or 1411 of this title to show cause for his retention on active duty.
(c)A selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title shall include in its report to the Secretary concerned the name of any officer considered and not recommended for promotion by the board who submitted to the board a request not to be selected for promotion or who otherwise directly caused his nonselection through written communication to the Board under section 614(b) of this title.
(d)A selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title shall, when authorized under section 616(h) of this title, include in its report to the Secretary concerned the names of those officers recommended by the board to be placed higher on the promotion list and the order in which the board recommends that those officers should be placed on the list.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “section 616(h)” for “section 616(g)”. 2018—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–232 added subsec. (d). 1999—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–65 struck out “regular” before “officer”. 1998—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–261 added subsec. (c). 1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–337 inserted “or reserve” after “any regular” and “or 1411” after “chapter 60”. 1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–484 substituted “section 615(b)” for “section 615(a)”. 1988—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–456 inserted “(as noted in the guidelines or information furnished the board under section 615(a) of this title)” after “concerned”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1999 Amendment Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title V, § 503(b), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 590, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to boards convened under section 611(a) of title 10, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 5, 1999].”

Effective Date

of 1998 Amendment Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title V, § 502(c), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2003, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 1174 of this title] shall apply with respect to selection boards convened under section 611(a) of title 10, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 17, 1998].”

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–337 effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 1691(b)(1) of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as a note under section 10001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–456 effective 60 days after Sept. 29, 1988, and applicable with respect to selection boards convened under section 611(a) of this title on or after that

Effective Date

, see section 501(e) of Pub. L. 100–456, set out as a note under section 615 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Sept. 15, 1981, but the authority to prescribe

Regulations

under this section effective on Dec. 12, 1980, see section 701 of Pub. L. 96–513, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1980 Amendment note under section 101 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 617

Title 10 — Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73