§2130 Promotion to certain grades for officers with critical skills: captain, commander, lieutenant commander, lieutenant

Summary

Officers at the ranks of lieutenant (junior grade), lieutenant, lieutenant commander, or commander can be given a temporary promotion up to the next higher grades, including captain, if they have a skill the Coast Guard is critically short of and are assigned to a job that needs that skill. The President makes these temporary appointments with the Senate’s approval under rules set by the Secretary. A board of officers must recommend the promotion first. These temporary promotions do not change an officer’s permanent place on the promotion list or remove their rights or benefits. The promotion is treated as accepted on the date it is made, and pay for the higher grade starts that day. The temporary rank ends when the officer gets the permanent rank, leaves the designated job (unless already on a promotion list), is removed for misconduct or poor performance, or when the Commandant decides it is best. The Secretary can only designate a limited share of positions for these promotions: 0.5% for lieutenants, 3.0% for lieutenant commanders, 2.6% for commanders, and 2.6% for captains.