Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§1580 Emergency Essential Employees: Designation

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 81 — CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES › § 1580

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Defense or the head of a military department can label a Department of Defense worker as emergency essential if three things are true. The worker must give immediate, ongoing help to combat operations or to maintain and repair combat‑essential systems. The worker must need to keep working in a combat zone after nonessential people (including service members’ dependents) leave because of a war, a national emergency declared by Congress or the President, or the start of combat operations. It must be impractical to replace the job with a service member because the work cannot stop. Employees of nonappropriated fund instrumentalities may also be designated. The term “combat zone” means what is in section 112(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The term “nonappropriated fund instrumentality employee” means what is in section 1587(a)(1) of this title.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §1580

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Criteria for Designation.—
The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the military department concerned may designate as an emergency essential employee any employee of the Department of Defense, whether permanent or temporary, the duties of whose position meet all of the following criteria:
(1)It is the duty of the employee to provide immediate and continuing support for combat operations or to support maintenance and repair of combat essential systems of the armed forces.
(2)It is necessary for the employee to perform that duty in a combat zone after the evacuation of nonessential personnel, including any dependents of members of the armed forces, from the zone in connection with a war, a national emergency declared by Congress or the President, or the commencement of combat operations of the armed forces in the zone.
(3)It is impracticable to convert the employee’s position to a position authorized to be filled by a member of the armed forces because of a necessity for that duty to be performed without interruption.
(b)Eligibility of Employees of Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities.—
A nonappropriated fund instrumentality employee is eligible for designation as an emergency essential employee under subsection (a).
(c)Definitions.—
In this section: (1)
(2)The term “nonappropriated fund instrumentality employee” has the meaning given that term in section 1587(a)(1) of this title.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 112(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is classified to section 112(c)(2) of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1580, added Pub. L. 87–651, title II, § 206(a), Sept. 7, 1962, 76 Stat. 519, related to appointment of civilian employees by the Secretary of Defense, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 89–554, § 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 663.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 1580

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110