Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110

§649a Officers in Designated Competitive Categories

Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 36 — PROMOTION, SEPARATION, AND INVOLUNTARY RETIREMENT OF OFFICERS ON THE ACTIVE-DUTY LIST › SUBCHAPTER VI — ALTERNATIVE PROMOTION AUTHORITY FOR OFFICERS IN DESIGNATED COMPETITIVE CATEGORIES › § 649a

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each head of a military department can create one or more "competitive categories" of officers for promotions under section 621. Officers placed in those categories will have their promotions, retirements, and continued active-duty service handled under the rules in this subchapter. A head cannot create a category until 60 days after sending a report to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. The report must explain the officer requirements, the number and timing of promotion opportunities for each grade, the estimated size of each promotion zone, and any other matters the head considered.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §649a

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority To Designate Competitive Categories of Officers.—

Each Secretary of a military department may designate one or more competitive categories for promotion of officers under section 621 of this title that are under the jurisdiction of such Secretary as a competitive category of officers whose promotion, retirement, and continuation on active duty shall be subject to the provisions of this subchapter.

(b)Limitation on Exercise of Authority.—

The Secretary of a military department may not designate a competitive category of officers for purposes of this subchapter until 60 days after the date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the designation of the competitive category. The report on the designation of a competitive category shall set forth the following:

(1)A detailed description of officer requirements for officers within the competitive category.

(2)An explanation of the number of opportunities for consideration for promotion to each particular grade, and an estimate of promotion timing, within the competitive category.

(3)An estimate of the size of the promotion zone for each grade within the competitive category.

(4)A description of any other matters the Secretary considered in determining to designate the competitive category for purposes of this subchapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 649a

Title 10, Armed Forces

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110