Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§171 Armed Forces Policy Council

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART I — ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS › CHAPTER 7 — BOARDS, COUNCILS, AND COMMITTEES › § 171

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a 17-member council inside the Department of Defense. The Secretary of Defense is the chair and makes decisions. Other members are top civilian and military leaders: the Deputy Secretary; several Under and Deputy Under Secretaries for acquisition, research, engineering, and policy; the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and the senior military heads of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. The council must give advice to the Secretary of Defense on big policy issues about the armed forces. It also must study and report on other topics when the Secretary asks.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §171

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is in the Department of Defense an Armed Forces Policy Council consisting of—
(1)the Secretary of Defense, as Chairman, with the power of decision;
(2)the Deputy Secretary of Defense;
(3)the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment;
(4)the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering;
(5)the Secretary of the Army;
(6)the Secretary of the Navy;
(7)the Secretary of the Air Force;
(8)the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy;
(9)the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology;
(10)the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering;
(11)the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment;
(12)the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;
(13)the Chief of Staff of the Army;
(14)the Chief of Naval Operations;
(15)the Chief of Staff of the Air Force;
(16)the Commandant of the Marine Corps; and
(17)the Chief of Space Operations.
(b)The Armed Forces Policy Council shall advise the Secretary of Defense on matters of broad policy relating to the armed forces and shall consider and report on such other matters as the Secretary of Defense may direct.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 171(a) 171(b)5:171e (less last sentence).5:171e (last sentence).July 26, 1947, ch. 343, § 210; restated Aug. 10, 1949, ch. 412, § 7(a), 63 Stat. 581.

Editorial Notes

Codification Pub. L. 99–591 is a corrected version of Pub. L. 99–500.

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (a)(17). Pub. L. 116–283 added par. (17). 2019—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 116–92, § 902(6)(A), substituted “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment” for “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics”. Subsec. (a)(4) to (16). Pub. L. 116–92, § 902(6)(B)–(E), added par. (4), redesignated former pars. (4) to (8) as (5) to (9), respectively, added pars. (10) and (11), and redesignated former pars. (9) to (13) as (12) to (16), respectively. 2001—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 107–107 substituted “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics” for “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology”. 1993—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 103–160, § 904(d)(1), substituted “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology” for “Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition”. Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 103–160, § 904(d)(3), substituted “Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology” for “Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition”. 1986—Subsec. (a)(3) to (13) Pub. L. 99–500, Pub. L. 99–591, and Pub. L. 99–661 amended subsec. (a) identically, redesignating pars. (3) to (11) as (4), (5), (6), (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), and (13), respectively, adding new pars. (3) and (8), and substituting “the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition” for “the Under Secretaries of Defense” in par. (7). 1983—Subsec. (a)(11). Pub. L. 98–94 added par. (11). 1977—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 95–140, § 3(b)(1), substituted “the Deputy” for “a Deputy”. Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 95–140, § 3(b)(2), substituted “the Under Secretaries of Defense;” for “the Director of Defense Research and Engineering;”. 1972—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 92–596 substituted “a Deputy Secretary” for “the Deputy Secretary”. 1958—Subsec. (a)(6) to (10). Pub. L. 85–599 added par. (6) and redesignated former pars. (6) to (9) as (7) to (10), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 1983 Amendment Pub. L. 98–36, § 1, May 27, 1983, 97 Stat. 200, provided: “That this Act [enacting section 178 of this title and amending section 2113 of this title] may be cited as the ‘Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Act of 1983’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 171

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102