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Title 14, Coast GuardRelease 119-102

§2102 Active Duty Promotion List

Title 14 › SUBTITLE II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 21 — PERSONNEL; OFFICERS › SUBCHAPTER I — APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION › § 2102

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must keep one active-duty promotion list for Coast Guard officers on active duty in the ranks of ensign and above. Reserve officers on active duty are not on that list unless they serve under an active-duty agreement under section 12311 of title 10. Retired officers, permanent commissioned teachers at the Coast Guard Academy, and any officers the Secretary excludes are also left off the list. Officers are put on the list by the grade they hold and then by how senior they are in that grade. The Secretary can fix mistakes caused by paperwork errors. New Regular Coast Guard officers are placed by date of rank and seniority. Reserve officers who come on active duty (and are not excluded) are placed by grade and seniority, and the Secretary decides their order when dates of rank are the same.

Full Legal Text

Title 14, §2102

Coast Guard, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall maintain a single active duty promotion list of officers of the Coast Guard on active duty in the grades of ensign and above. Reserve officers on active duty, other than pursuant to an active duty agreement executed under section 12311 of title 10, retired officers, officers of the permanent commissioned teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy, and officers designated by the Secretary pursuant this section shall not be included on the active duty promotion list.
(b)Officers shall be carried on the active duty promotion list in the order of seniority of the grades in which they are serving. Officers serving in the same grade shall be carried in the order of their seniority in that grade. The Secretary may correct any erroneous position on the active duty promotion list that was caused by administrative error.
(c)An individual appointed in the grade of ensign or above in the Regular Coast Guard shall be placed on the active duty promotion list in the order of his date of rank and seniority.
(d)A Reserve officer, other than one excluded by subsection (a), shall, when he enters on active duty, be placed on the active duty promotion list in accordance with his grade and seniority. The position of such a Reserve officer among other officers of the Coast Guard on active duty who have the same date of rank shall be determined by the Secretary.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “officers of the permanent commissioned teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy, and officers designated by the Secretary pursuant this section” for “and officers of the permanent commissioned teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy”. 2021—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “An individual” for “A person”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–282 renumbered section 41a of this title as this section. 1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted “section 12311 of title 10” for “section 679 of title 10”. 1993—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–206 struck out before period at end of second sentence “, except that the rear admiral serving as Chief of Staff shall be the senior rear admiral for all purposes other than pay”. 1981—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–136, § 6(a)(1), substituted “Reserve officers on active duty, other than pursuant to an active duty agreement executed under section 679 of title 10, retired officers, and officers of the permanent commissioned teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy shall not” for “Retired officers and officers of the permanent commissioned teaching staff of the Coast Guard Academy shall not be included on the active duty promotion list. Reserve officers on extended active duty, other than those serving in connection with organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training the Reserve components or assigned to the Selective Service System, shall”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 97–136, § 6(a)(2), inserted exception that rear admiral serving as Chief of Staff shall be senior rear admiral for all purposes other than pay. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 97–136, § 6(a)(3), substituted “enters on active duty” for “enters on extended active duty”. 1973—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 93–174 substituted “Retired officers and officers” for “Retired officers, officers” and struck out “, and officers of the Women’s Reserve” after “Coast Guard Academy”. 1970—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–278 inserted “or assigned to the Selective Service System” after “components” in last sentence.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–337 effective Dec. 1, 1994, except as otherwise provided, see section 1691 of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 10001 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

14 U.S.C. § 2102

Title 14, Coast Guard

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102