§2107a. Financial assistance program for specially selected members: Army Reserve and Army National Guard

(a)(1) The Secretary of the Army may appoint as a cadet in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard of the United States any eligible member of the program who is enrolled in the Advanced Course of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps at a military college, military junior college, or civilian institution and who will be under 25 years of age on June 30 of the calendar year in which he is eligible under this section for appointment as a second lieutenant in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard, except that the age of any such member who has served on active duty in the armed forces may exceed such age limitation on such date by a period equal to the period such member served on active duty, but only if such member will be under 29 years of age on such date.

(2) To be considered a military college or military junior college for the purposes of this section, a school must be a civilian postsecondary educational institution essentially military in nature and meet such other requirements as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe. For purposes of this section, a military junior college does not confer a baccalaureate degree.

(b) To be eligible for appointment as a cadet under this section, a member of the program must-

(1) be a citizen of the United States;

(2) be specially selected for the financial assistance program under this section under procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the Army;

(3) enlist in a reserve component of the Army for the period prescribed by the Secretary of the Army;

(4) contract, with the consent of his parent or guardian if he is a minor, with the Secretary of the Army to serve for the period required by the program;

(5) agree in writing that he will accept an appointment, if offered, as a commissioned officer in the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard of the United States; and

(6) agree in writing that he will serve in a troop program unit of the Army Reserve or Army National Guard for not less than eight years.

Performance of duty under an agreement under this subsection shall be under such terms and conditions as the Secretary of the Army may prescribe and may include periods of active duty, active duty for training, and other service in an active or inactive status in the reserve component in which appointed.

(c) The Secretary of the Army shall provide for the payment of all expenses of the Department of the Army in administering the financial assistance program under this section, including the cost of tuition, fees, books, and laboratory expenses which are incurred by members of the program appointed as cadets under this section while such members are students at a military junior college.

(d) Upon satisfactorily completing the academic and military requirements of the program, a cadet may be appointed as a reserve officer in the Army in the grade of second lieutenant, even though he is under 21 years of age.

(e) The date of rank of officers appointed under this section in May or June of any year is the date of graduation of cadets from the United States Military Academy in that year. The Secretary of the Army shall establish the date of rank of all other officers appointed under this section.

(f) A cadet who does not complete the course of instruction, or who completes the course but declines to accept a commission when offered, or who does not complete a baccalaureate degree within five years after appointment as a cadet under this section, may be ordered to active duty by the Secretary of the Army to serve in his enlisted grade for such period of time as the Secretary prescribes but not for more than four years.

(g) In computing length of service for any purpose, an officer appointed under this section may not be credited with service as a cadet or with concurrent enlisted service.

(h) The Secretary of the Army shall appoint not more than 208 cadets each year under this section, to include not less than 10 cadets at each military junior college at which there are not less than 10 members of the program eligible under subsection (b) for such an appointment. At any military college at which in any year there are fewer than 10 such members, the Secretary shall appoint each such member as a cadet under this section.

(i) Cadets appointed under this section are in addition to the number appointed under section 2107 of this title.

(Added Pub. L. 96–357, §1(c)(1), Sept. 24, 1980, 94 Stat. 1179 ; amended Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title V, §522(a), (b)(1), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1362 .)

Amendments

1991-Pub. L. 102–190, §522(b)(1), substituted "Army Reserve and Army National Guard" for "military junior colleges" in section catchline.

Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102–190, §522(a)(1), substituted "enrolled in the Advanced Course of the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps at a military college, military junior college, or civilian institution" for "a student at a military junior college" and inserted "Reserve or Army National Guard" after "second lieutenant in the Army".

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 102–190, §522(a)(2), inserted "military college or" after "To be considered a", substituted "and meet" for "that does not confer baccalaureate degrees and that meets", and inserted at end "For purposes of this section, a military junior college does not confer a baccalaureate degree."

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 102–190, §522(a)(3), substituted "a troop program unit of the Army Reserve or Army National Guard" for "such reserve component".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 102–190, §522(a)(4), inserted "or who does not complete a baccalaureate degree within five years after appointment as a cadet under this section," after "when offered,".

Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 102–190, §522(a)(5), struck out par. (1) designation, substituted "not more than 208 cadets each year under this section, to include not less than 10 cadets" for "not less than 10 cadets under this section each year", and struck out par. (2) which read as follows: "If the level of participation in the program at any military junior college meets criteria for such participation established by the Secretary of the Army by regulation, the Secretary shall appoint additional cadets under this section from among members of the program at such military junior college who are eligible under subsection (b) for such an appointment."

Effective Date

Section 1(e) of Pub. L. 96–357 provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting this section and amending sections 2107 and 2108 of this title] shall take effect on October 1, 1980."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 2005, 2108 of this title.