§690 Retired Members Ordered to Active Duty: Limitation on Number

Summary

No more than 15 retired generals from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force, and no more than 15 retired flag officers from the Navy, may be on active duty at the same time. A retired officer ordered back for 60 days or less does not count toward those limits. Also, no more than 25 retired officers from any single service may be on active duty at once under orders under section 688. Certain people do not count toward that 25 while serving in their assigned role (for example, chaplains on chaplain duty, health-care professionals on health duty, officers with the American Battle Monuments Commission, Retiree Council members at their annual meeting, and defense or service attachés). The 15-officer rule is suspended in wartime or during a national emergency declared by Congress or the President after November 30, 1980, and the 25-officer rule is suspended in wartime or during a national emergency declared by Congress or the President.