14 U.S.C. § 3737: Running mates

Summary

The Secretary must give each Reserve officer who is on active status but not on the active-duty promotion list a running mate from the active-duty promotion list. The first running mate is the next more senior officer of the same grade on that list. Someone who has failed selection twice or who was considered but not recommended for continuation under section 2150 cannot be a running mate. If a running mate is promoted, removed, loses numbers, fails selection or qualification, or declines promotion, the Secretary must pick the next senior eligible officer on the promotion list as the new running mate. If the previous running mate was already a selectee, the replacement should be the next senior selectee. If a Reserve officer loses numbers, the new running mate becomes whoever is the running mate of the next senior Reserve after the loss. For other situations, the Secretary may assign a replacement to avoid unfair changes in order. When a Reserve joins the promotion list, they should, when possible, become running mate for junior officers who shared a running mate with them before. The Secretary may change a non‑active Reserve’s date of rank to match the running mate, and any resulting overpayment cannot be taken back.

Title 14, §3737

Coast Guard, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall assign a running mate to each Reserve officer in an active status not on the active duty promotion list. The officer initially assigned as a running mate under this section shall be that officer on the active duty promotion list of the same grade who is next senior in precedence to the Reserve officer concerned. An officer who has twice failed of selection or who has been considered but has not been recommended for continuation under section 2150 of this title shall not be assigned as a running mate under this section.

(b)A Reserve officer in an active status not on the active duty promotion list shall be assigned a new running mate as follows:

(1)If a previously assigned running mate is promoted from below the promotion zone, is removed from the active duty promotion list, suffers a loss of numbers, fails of selection, fails to qualify for promotion, or declines an appointment after being selected for promotion, the new running mate shall be that officer on the active duty promotion list, of the same grade, who is next senior to the previous running mate and who is, or may become, eligible for consideration for promotion. If the previous running mate was on a list of selectees for promotion, the new running mate shall be that officer on the active duty promotion list, of the same grade, who is on a list of selectees for promotion and who is next senior to the previous running mate.

(2)If a Reserve officer suffers a loss of numbers, the new running mate shall be that officer on the active duty promotion list who, after the loss of numbers has been effected, is the running mate of the Reserve officer next senior to the Reserve officer concerned.

(3)If a Reserve officer is considered for promotion and fails of selection, fails to qualify for promotion, declines an appointment after being selected for promotion, or has his or her name removed from a list of selectees for promotion, and that officer’s running mate is promoted, the new running mate shall be that officer on the active duty promotion list, of the same grade, who, at the time the previous running mate was considered for promotion, was next senior to the previous running mate, was eligible for consideration for promotion, and whose name was not included on a list of selectees for promotion.

(4)In a situation not expressly covered by this subsection, the Secretary may assign a new running mate as necessary to effect the intent of this section that inequitable changes of precedence do not occur.

(c)A Reserve officer on the active duty promotion list shall, to the extent practicable and consistent with the limitations imposed by this section, be assigned as the running mate of all Reserve officers junior to the officer, who are in an active status not on the active duty promotion list, and who had a running mate in common with the officer just prior to the time the officer was placed on the active duty promotion list.

(d)The Secretary may adjust, as necessary, the date of rank of a Reserve officer not on active duty so that the date will correspond with that of the running mate assigned to the officer in accordance with this section. If an overpayment of pay or allowances results from adjusting the date of rank, the overpayment is not subject to recoupment.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in section 782 of this title prior to the complete revision of former chapter 21 of this title by Pub. L. 96–322.

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–282, § 118(b), renumbered section 726 of this title as this section. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–282, § 123(b)(2), substituted “section 2150” for “section 289”.

§3737 Running Mates