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Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102

§574 Warrant Officer Active-duty Lists; Competitive Categories; Number to Be Recommended for Promotion; Promotion Zones

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 33A — APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION, AND INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION AND RETIREMENT FOR MEMBERS ON THE WARRANT OFFICER ACTIVE-DUTY LIST › § 574

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary in charge of each military service must keep one active-duty list of all warrant officers (except certain ones covered elsewhere). The Secretary may create promotion groups so warrant officers only compete with others in the same group. Before a promotion board meets, the Secretary must set for each grade or group how many officers can be recommended for promotion and what the promotion zone will be. The list is ordered by how long someone has served in their current grade and then by their rank within that grade. If an officer has a temporary job in a different grade, they keep their place on the list. A chief warrant officer cannot be considered for the next higher grade until they have served two years on active duty in their current grade.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §574

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary concerned shall maintain for each armed force under the jurisdiction of that Secretary a single list of all warrant officers (other than warrant officers described in section 582 of this title) who are on active duty.
(b)The Secretary concerned may establish competitive categories for promotion. Warrant officers in the same competitive category shall compete among themselves for promotion.
(c)Before convening a selection board under section 573 of this title, the Secretary concerned shall determine for each grade (or grade and competitive category) to be considered by the board the following:
(1)The maximum number of warrant officers to be recommended for promotion.
(2)A promotion zone for warrant officers on the warrant officer active-duty list.
(d)The position of a warrant officer on the warrant officer active-duty list shall be determined as follows:
(1)Warrant officers shall be carried in the order of seniority of the grade in which they are serving on active duty.
(2)Warrant officers serving in the same grade shall be carried in the order of their rank in that grade.
(3)A warrant officer on the warrant officer active-duty list who receives a temporary appointment or a temporary assignment in a grade other than a warrant officer grade or chief warrant officer grade shall retain his position on the warrant officer active-duty list while so serving.
(e)A chief warrant officer may not be considered for promotion to the next higher grade under this chapter until the officer has completed two years of service on active duty in the grade in which the officer is serving.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted “two years of service” for “three years of service”. 1994—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted “Secretary concerned” for “Secretary of each military department”. 1992—Subsec. (d)(3). Pub. L. 102–484 substituted “active-duty list” for “active duty list” before “while”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–337 effective on the first day of the fourth month beginning after Oct. 5, 1994, see section 541(h) of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as a note under section 571 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective Feb. 1, 1992, see section 1132 of Pub. L. 102–190, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1991 Amendment note under section 521 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 574

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102