# § 8090. Staff corps of the Navy
**(a)** The staff corps of the Navy are—
**(1)** the Medical Corps;
**(2)** the Dental Corps;
**(3)** the Judge Advocate General’s Corps;
**(4)** the Chaplain Corps;
**(5)** the Supply Corps;
**(6)** the Civil Engineer Corps;
**(7)** the Nurse Corps;
**(8)** the Medical Service Corps; and
**(9)** such other staff corps as may be established by the Secretary of the Navy under subsection (b).
**(b)**
**(1)** The Secretary of the Navy may establish staff corps of the Navy in addition to the staff corps specified in subsection (a). The Secretary may designate commissioned officers in, and may assign members to, any such staff corps.
**(2)** The Secretary of the Navy may provide for the appointment of the chief of any staff corps established under this subsection.
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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 96–513, title III, § 351, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2902, § 5155; amended Pub. L. 97–22, § 6(a), July 10, 1981, 95 Stat. 129; Pub. L. 97–86, title IV, § 405(b)(1), Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1105; renumbered § 5150, Pub. L. 99–433, title V, § 514(a)(2), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1054; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title XIII, § 1343(a)(23), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3994; Pub. L. 100–26, § 3(7), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 274; Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title X, § 1061(a)(22)(A), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1473; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title V, § 504(a)(2), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2531; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title V, § 501(b), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1714; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 502(hh), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2105; renumbered § 8090, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 807(a)(2), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1834; Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title IX, § 923, Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 2039.)
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
2024—Subsec. (a)(5) to (9). , added pars. (5) to (8) and redesignated former par. (5) as (9).
Subsec. (b)(1). , substituted “staff corps specified in subsection (a)” for “Medical Corps, the Dental Corps, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and the Chaplain Corps”.
2018— renumbered as this section.
2016—Subsec. (b)(2). , substituted “The Secretary” for “Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary”.
Subsec. (c). , struck out subsec. (c) which read as follows: “The Secretary of the Navy, whenever the needs of the service require, may convene a selection board under to select an officer in the Nurse Corps or in the Medical Service Corps (if such corps has been established under subsection (a)) for promotion to the grade of rear admiral, in the case of an officer in the Nurse Corps, or rear admiral (lower half), in the case of an officer in the Medical Service Corps. An officer promoted pursuant to such a selection shall be appointed by the Secretary to the position of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps, respectively, for a term of four years, to serve at the pleasure of the Secretary.”
2013—Subsec. (c). struck out at end “For the purpose of computing the total number of flag officers in the staff corps of the Navy under , an officer so appointed shall be considered an additional number in grade.”
2002—Subsec. (c). substituted “for promotion to the grade of rear admiral, in the case of an officer in the Nurse Corps, or rear admiral (lower half), in the case of an officer in the Medical Service Corps” for “for promotion to the grade of rear admiral (lower half)” in first sentence.
1991—Subsec. (c). substituted “section 526” for “section 5444”.
1987—Subsec. (c). made technical amendment to directory language of . See 1986 Amendment note below.
1986— renumbered as this section.
Subsec. (c). , as amended by , substituted “rear admiral (lower half)” for “commodore”.
1981—Subsec. (c). substituted “commodore” for “commodore admiral”.
substituted “Nurse Corps or in the Medical Service Corps (if such corps has been established under subsection (a)) for promotion to the grade of commodore admiral” for “Nurse Corps or Medical Service Corps for promotion to the grade of commodore admiral or rear admiral, as appropriate”, substituted “An officer promoted pursuant to such a selection shall be appointed by the Secretary to the position of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps, respectively, for a term of four years, to serve at the pleasure of the Secretary” for “An officer so selected shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of four years to serve in the position, respectively, of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps”, and inserted provision that for the purpose of computing the total number of flag officers in the staff corps of the Navy under , an officer so appointed shall be considered an additional number in grade.
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 2018 Amendment
Amendment by effective , with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see , set out as a note preceding .
### Effective Date of 1987 Amendment
Amendment by applicable as if included in when enacted on , see , set out as a note under .
### Effective Date of 1981 Amendment
Amendment by effective , see , set out as a note under .
### 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 .
### Transition Provisions Under Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
For provisions to prevent extinction or premature termination of rights, duties, penalties, or proceedings that existed or were begun prior to the effective date of and otherwise to allow for an orderly transition to the system of officer personnel management put in place under , see section 601 et seq. of , set out as a note under .