Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§20405 Force Shaping Authority

Title 10 › Subtitle F — Alternative Military Personnel Systems › PART I — SPACE FORCE › CHAPTER 2009 — RETENTION AND SEPARATION GENERALLY › § 20405

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Air Force can, only to restructure the Space Force, remove an officer on sustained duty by discharging them or by forcing them off sustained duty. This power covers two kinds of officers: those on sustained duty with six or fewer years as a commissioned officer, and those with more than six years who still have not finished their initial required active-duty time (that initial period plus any extra time added during it). The Secretary must make rules for how to use this authority.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §20405

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority.—

The Secretary of the Air Force may, solely for the purpose of restructuring the Space Force—

(1)discharge an officer described in subsection (b); or

(2)involuntarily release such an officer from sustained duty.

(b)Covered Officers.—

(1)The authority under this section may be exercised in the case of an officer of the Space Force serving on sustained duty who—

(A)has completed not more than six years of service as a commissioned officer in the armed forces; or

(B)has completed more than six years of service as a commissioned officer in the armed forces, but has not completed the minimum service obligation applicable to that officer.

(2)In this subsection, the term “minimum service obligation”, with respect to a member of the Space Force, means the initial period of required active duty service applicable to the member, together with any additional period of required active duty service incurred by that member during the member’s initial period of required active duty service.

(c)Regulations.—

The Secretary of the Air Force shall prescribe regulations for the exercise of the Secretary’s authority under this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 20405

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110