10 USC 531 – Original appointments of commissioned officers
(a)(1) Original appointments in the grades of second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain in the Regular Army, Regular Air Force, and Regular Marine Corps in the grades of ensign, lieutenant (junior grade), and lieutenant in the Regular Navy, and in the equivalent grades in the Regular Space Force shall be made by the President alone.
Terms Used In 10 USC 531
- Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
(2) Original appointments in the grades of major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel in the Regular Army, Regular Air Force, and Regular Marine Corps in the grades of lieutenant commander, commander, and captain in the Regular Navy, and in the equivalent grades in the Regular Space Force shall be made by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(b) The grade of a person receiving an appointment under this section who at the time of appointment (1) is credited with service under section 533 of this title, and (2) is not a commissioned officer of a reserve component shall be determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense based upon the amount of service credited. The grade of a person receiving an appointment under this section who at the time of the appointment is a commissioned officer of a reserve component is determined under section 533(f) of this title.
(c) Subject to the authority, direction, and control of the President, an original appointment as a commissioned officer in the Regular Army, Regular Air Force, Regular Navy, Regular Marine Corps, or Regular Space Force may be made by the Secretary of Defense in the case of a reserve commissioned officer upon the transfer of such officer from the reserve active-status list of a reserve component of the armed forces to the active-duty list of an armed force, notwithstanding the requirements of subsection (a).