Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§8090 Staff corps of the Navy

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— - Navy and Marine Corps › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION › Chapter CHAPTER 809— - BUREAUS; OFFICE OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL › § 8090

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Names eight Navy staff corps — Medical, Dental, Judge Advocate General, Chaplain, Supply, Civil Engineer, Nurse, and Medical Service — and allows the Secretary of the Navy to create other staff corps. The Secretary can create new corps, place commissioned officers and other members in them, and appoint a chief for any new corps.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §8090

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The staff corps of the Navy are—
(1)the Medical Corps;
(2)the Dental Corps;
(3)the Judge Advocate General’s Corps;
(4)the Chaplain Corps;
(5)the Supply Corps;
(6)the Civil Engineer Corps;
(7)the Nurse Corps;
(8)the Medical Service Corps; and
(9)such other staff corps as may be established by the Secretary of the Navy under subsection (b).
(b)(1)The Secretary of the Navy may establish staff corps of the Navy in addition to the staff corps specified in subsection (a). The Secretary may designate commissioned officers in, and may assign members to, any such staff corps.
(2)The Secretary of the Navy may provide for the appointment of the chief of any staff corps established under this subsection.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2024—Subsec. (a)(5) to (9). Pub. L. 118–159, § 923(a), added pars. (5) to (8) and redesignated former par. (5) as (9). Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 118–159, § 923(b), substituted “staff corps specified in subsection (a)” for “Medical Corps, the Dental Corps, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and the Chaplain Corps”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 5150 of this title as this section. 2016—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 114–328, § 502(hh)(1), substituted “The Secretary” for “Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 114–328, § 502(hh)(2), struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “The Secretary of the Navy, whenever the needs of the service require, may convene a selection board under section 611(a) of this title to select an officer in the Nurse Corps or in the Medical Service Corps (if such corps has been established under subsection (a)) for promotion to the grade of rear admiral, in the case of an officer in the Nurse Corps, or rear admiral (lower half), in the case of an officer in the Medical Service Corps. An officer promoted pursuant to such a selection shall be appointed by the Secretary to the position of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps, respectively, for a term of four years, to serve at the pleasure of the Secretary.” 2013—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 112–239 struck out at end “For the purpose of computing the total number of flag officers in the staff corps of the Navy under section 526 of this title, an officer so appointed shall be considered an additional number in grade.” 2002—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 107–314 substituted “for promotion to the grade of rear admiral, in the case of an officer in the Nurse Corps, or rear admiral (lower half), in the case of an officer in the Medical Service Corps” for “for promotion to the grade of rear admiral (lower half)” in first sentence. 1991—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–190 substituted “section 526” for “section 5444”. 1987—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–26 made technical amendment to directory language of Pub. L. 99–661, § 1343(a)(23). See 1986 Amendment note below. 1986—Pub. L. 99–433 renumbered section 5155 of this title as this section. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–661, as amended by Pub. L. 100–26, substituted “rear admiral (lower half)” for “commodore”. 1981—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–86 substituted “commodore” for “commodore admiral”. Pub. L. 97–22 substituted “Nurse Corps or in the Medical Service Corps (if such corps has been established under subsection (a)) for promotion to the grade of commodore admiral” for “Nurse Corps or Medical Service Corps for promotion to the grade of commodore admiral or rear admiral, as appropriate”, substituted “An officer promoted pursuant to such a selection shall be appointed by the Secretary to the position of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps, respectively, for a term of four years, to serve at the pleasure of the Secretary” for “An officer so selected shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of four years to serve in the position, respectively, of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps”, and inserted provision that for the purpose of computing the total number of flag officers in the staff corps of the Navy under section 5444 of this title, an officer so appointed shall be considered an additional number in grade.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of

Amendments

and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1987 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–26 applicable as if included in Pub. L. 99–661 when enacted on Nov. 14, 1986, see section 12(a) of Pub. L. 100–26, set out as a note under section 776 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1981 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–86 effective Sept. 15, 1981, see section 405(f) of Pub. L. 97–86, set out as a note under section 101 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. Transition Provisions Under Defense Officer Personnel Management ActFor provisions to prevent extinction or premature termination of rights, duties, penalties, or proceedings that existed or were begun prior to the

Effective Date

of Pub. L. 96–513 and otherwise to allow for an orderly transition to the system of officer personnel management put in place under Pub. L. 96–513, see section 601 et seq. of Pub. L. 96–513, set out as a note under section 611 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 8090

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73