10 USC § 12643 - Boards for appointment, promotion, and certain other purposes: composition

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s12643"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 12643 - Boards for appointment, promotion, and certain other purposes: composition"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "12643"
section_name: "Boards for appointment, promotion, and certain other purposes: composition"
chapter_number: 1219
chapter_name: "STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES FOR RETENTION AND PROMOTION"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PERSONNEL GENERALLY"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 11, § 266; Pub. L. 96–513, title V, § 501(4), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2907; Pub. L. 97–22, § 2(c), July 10, 1981, 95 Stat. 124; renumbered § 12643, Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1662(h)(2), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2996.)"
---


# § 12643. Boards for appointment, promotion, and certain other purposes: composition

**(a)** Except as provided in section 612(a)(3) of this title and except for boards that may be convened to select Reserves for appointment in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps, each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include at least one member of the Reserves, with the exact number of Reserves determined by the Secretary concerned in his discretion.

**(b)** Each member of a board convened for the selection for promotion, or for the demotion or discharge, of Reserves must be senior in rank to the persons under consideration by that board. However, a member serving in a legal advisory capacity may be junior in rank to any person, other than a judge advocate or law specialist, being considered by that board; and a member serving in a medical advisory capacity may be junior in rank to any person, other than a medical officer, being considered by that board.

---

**Source Credit**: (Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 11, § 266; Pub. L. 96–513, title V, § 501(4), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2907; Pub. L. 97–22, § 2(c), July 10, 1981, 95 Stat. 124; renumbered § 12643, Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1662(h)(2), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2996.)

| Revised section | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 266(a)266(b) | 50:1005(a).50:1005(b). | July 9, 1952, ch. 608, § 254, 66 Stat. 496. |

In subsection (a), the words “under * * * prescribed” are substituted for the words “in accordance * * * established”.

In subsection (b), the words “in rank” and “by that board” are inserted for clarity.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1994— renumbered  as this section.

1981—Subsec. (a).  substituted “Except as provided in  and except for Boards that may be convened to select Reserves for appointment in the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps, each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include at least one member of the Reserves, with the exact number of Reserves determined by the Secretary concerned in his discretion” for “Except as provided in , each board convened for the appointment, promotion, demotion, involuntary release from active duty, discharge, or retirement of Reserves shall include an appropriate number of Reserves, as prescribed by the Secretary concerned under standards and policies prescribed by the Secretary of Defense”.

1980—Subsec. (a).  substituted “Except as provided in , each” for “Each”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1980 Amendment

Amendment by  effective , see , set out as a note under .