Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§12643 Boards for Appointment, Promotion, and Certain Other Purposes: Composition

Title 10 › Subtitle E — Reserve Components › PART II — PERSONNEL GENERALLY › CHAPTER 1219 — STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR RETENTION AND PROMOTION › § 12643

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Boards deciding appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves must include at least one Reserve. The Secretary in charge decides how many, except under section 612(a)(3) and when choosing Reserves for appointment to the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps. Board members must be higher in rank than the Reserves they review. A legal adviser may be lower in rank unless the person reviewed is a judge advocate or law specialist. A medical adviser may be lower in rank unless the person reviewed is a medical officer.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §12643

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as provided in section 612(a)(3) of this title and except for boards that may be convened to select Reserves for appointment in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps, each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include at least one member of the Reserves, with the exact number of Reserves determined by the Secretary concerned in his discretion.
(b)Each member of a board convened for the selection for promotion, or for the demotion or discharge, of Reserves must be senior in rank to the persons under consideration by that board. However, a member serving in a legal advisory capacity may be junior in rank to any person, other than a judge advocate or law specialist, being considered by that board; and a member serving in a medical advisory capacity may be junior in rank to any person, other than a medical officer, being considered by that board.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 266(a)266(b)50:1005(a).50:1005(b).July 9, 1952, ch. 608, § 254, 66 Stat. 496. In subsection (a), the words “under * * * prescribed” are substituted for the words “in accordance * * * established”. In subsection (b), the words “in rank” and “by that board” are inserted for clarity.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–337 renumbered section 266 of this title as this section. 1981—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–22 substituted “Except as provided in section 612(a)(3) of this title and except for Boards that may be convened to select Reserves for appointment in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps, each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include at least one member of the Reserves, with the exact number of Reserves determined by the Secretary concerned in his discretion” for “Except as provided in section 612(a)(3) of this title, each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include an appropriate number of Reserves, as prescribed by the Secretary concerned under standards and policies prescribed by the Secretary of Defense”. 1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–513 substituted “Except as provided in section 612(a)(3) of this title, each” for “Each”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–513 effective Sept. 15, 1981, see section 701 of Pub. L. 96–513, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 12643

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102