10 USC § 9036 - Surgeon General: appointment; duties

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t10/s9036"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "10 USC § 9036 - Surgeon General: appointment; duties"
title_number: 10
title_name: "ARMED FORCES"
section_number: "9036"
section_name: "Surgeon General: appointment; duties"
chapter_number: 905
chapter_name: "THE AIR STAFF"
part_number: "I"
part_name: "ORGANIZATION"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 89–288, § 5(a), Oct. 22, 1965, 79 Stat. 1050, § 8036; amended Pub. L. 99–433, title V, § 522(g)(2), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1063; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title V, § 506(c), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 296; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 702(b)(3)(A), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2196; renumbered § 9036, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 806(c), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1833; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 923(b)(6), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3809.)"
---


# § 9036. Surgeon General: appointment; duties

**(a)** **Appointment.—** The Surgeon General of the Air Force shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate from officers of the Air Force who are in the Air Force medical department.

**(b)** **Duties.—**

**(1)** The Surgeon General serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Chief of Space Operations on all health and medical matters of the Air Force and the Space Force, including strategic planning and policy development relating to such matters.

**(2)** The Surgeon General serves as the chief medical advisor of the Air Force and the Space Force to the Director of the Defense Health Agency on matters pertaining to military health readiness requirements and safety of members of the Air Force and members of the Space Force.

**(3)** The Surgeon General, acting under the authority, direction, and control of the Secretary of the Air Force, shall recruit, organize, train, and equip, medical personnel of the Air Force.

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**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 89–288, § 5(a), Oct. 22, 1965, 79 Stat. 1050, § 8036; amended Pub. L. 99–433, title V, § 522(g)(2), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1063; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title V, § 506(c), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 296; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title VII, § 702(b)(3)(A), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2196; renumbered § 9036, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 806(c), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1833; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 923(b)(6), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3809.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(1). , substituted “Secretary of the Air Force, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Chief of Space Operations on all health and medical matters of the Air Force and the Space Force” for “Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force on all health and medical matters of the Air Force”.

Subsec. (b)(2). , inserted “and the Space Force” after “advisor of the Air Force” and “and members of the Space Force” after “members of the Air Force”.

2018— renumbered  as this section.

2016— amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “There is a Surgeon General of the Air Force who is appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate from officers of the Air Force who are in the Air Force medical department. The Surgeon General, while so serving, has the grade of lieutenant general.”

1996— substituted “in the Air Force medical department” for “designated as medical officers under ”.

1986— substituted a semicolon for the comma in section catchline.

## 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 .

### Service of Incumbents in Certain Positions Without Reappointment

For continued service of Surgeon General of the Air Force under this section after , without further appointment, notwithstanding amendment by , see , set out as a note under .