10 USC § 630 - Discharge of commissioned officers with less than six years of active commissioned service or found not qualified for promotion for first lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade)

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s630"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 630 - Discharge of commissioned officers with less than six years of active commissioned service or found not qualified for promotion for first lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade)"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "630"
section_name: "Discharge of commissioned officers with less than six years of active commissioned service or found not qualified for promotion for first lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade)"
chapter_number: 36
chapter_name: "PROMOTION, SEPARATION, AND INVOLUNTARY RETIREMENT OF OFFICERS ON THE ACTIVE-DUTY LIST"
subchapter_number: "III"
subchapter_name: "FAILURE OF SELECTION FOR PROMOTION AND RETIREMENT FOR YEARS OF SERVICE"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "PERSONNEL"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 96–513, title I, § 105, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2861; amended Pub. L. 98–525, title XIV, § 1405(11), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2622; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title V, § 505(d)(2), (4)(A), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1088; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 505(b), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1457; Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title V, § 503(a)(1), (2), Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 95.)"
---


# § 630. Discharge of commissioned officers with less than six years of active commissioned service or found not qualified for promotion for first lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade)

The Secretary of the military department concerned, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense—

**(1)** may discharge any officer on the active-duty list who—

**(A)** has less than six years of active commissioned service; or

**(B)** is serving in the grade of second lieutenant or ensign and has been found not qualified for promotion to the grade of first lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade); and

**(2)** shall, unless the officer has been promoted, discharge any officer described in paragraph (1)(B) at the end of the 18-month period beginning on the date on which the officer is first found not qualified for promotion.

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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 96–513, title I, § 105, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2861; amended Pub. L. 98–525, title XIV, § 1405(11), Oct. 19, 1984, 98 Stat. 2622; Pub. L. 107–107, div. A, title V, § 505(d)(2), (4)(A), Dec. 28, 2001, 115 Stat. 1088; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 505(b), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1457; Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title V, § 503(a)(1), (2), Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 95.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2008—, substituted “six years” for “five years” in section catchline.

Par. (1)(A). , substituted “six years” for “five years”.

2003—Par. (2).  substituted “paragraph” for “clause”.

2001—, struck out “regular” before “commissioned officers” in section catchline.

Par. (1). , struck out “regular” before “officer” in introductory provisions and before “grade of first lieutenant” in subpar. (B).

1984—Par. (2).  substituted “18-month” for “eighteen-month”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective , but the authority to prescribe regulations under this section effective on , see , set out as an Effective Date of 1980 Amendment note under .