§661 . Management policies for joint specialty officers

(a) Establishment.-The Secretary of Defense shall establish policies, procedures, and practices for the effective management of officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps on the active-duty list who are particularly trained in, and oriented toward, joint matters (as defined in section 668 of this title). Such officers shall be identified or designated (in addition to their principal military occupational specialty) in such manner as the Secretary of Defense directs. For purposes of this chapter, officers to be managed by such policies, procedures, and practices are referred to as having, or having been nominated for, the "joint specialty".

(b) Numbers and Selection.-(1) The number of officers with the joint specialty shall be determined by the Secretary. Such number shall be large enough to meet the requirements of subsection (d).

(2) Officers shall be selected for the joint specialty by the Secretary of Defense with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Secretaries of the military departments shall nominate officers for selection for the joint specialty. Nominations shall be made from among officers-

(A) who meet qualifications prescribed by the Secretary of Defense; and

(B) who-

(i) are senior captains or, in the case of the Navy, senior lieutenants; or

(ii) are serving in the grade of major or lieutenant commander or a higher grade.

(3) The authority of the Secretary of Defense under paragraph (2) to select officers for the joint specialty may be delegated only to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

(c) Education and Experience Requirements.-(1) An officer who is nominated for the joint specialty may not be selected for the joint specialty until the officer-

(A) successfully completes an appropriate program at a joint professional military education school; and

(B) after completing such program of education, successfully completes a full tour of duty in a joint duty assignment (as described in section 664(f) of this title (other than in paragraph (2) thereof)).

(2)(A) An officer (other than a general or flag officer) who has a military occupational specialty that is a critical occupational specialty involving combat operations (as designated by the Secretary of Defense) and who is nominated for the joint specialty may be selected for the joint specialty after successful completion of a full tour of duty in a joint duty assignment (as described in section 664(f)(2) of this title) and successful completion of a program under paragraph (1)(A).

(B) The Secretary may not for the purposes of this paragraph designate a military occupational specialty as a critical occupational specialty involving combat operations unless that occupational specialty is within the combat arms, in the case of the Army, or the equivalent, in the case of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. In determining for the purposes of this paragraph what military occupational specialties within the combat arms (or the equivalent) are critical, the Secretary shall designate as critical any military occupational specialty experiencing severe shortages of trained officers.

(3)(A) In the case of an officer who has completed both a program of education referred to in paragraph (1)(A) and a full tour of duty in a joint duty assignment (as described in section 664(f) of this title (other than in paragraph (2) thereof)) and is subsequently nominated for the joint specialty, the Secretary of Defense may waive the requirement in paragraph (1)(B) that the tour of duty in a joint duty assignment be performed after the officer completes the program of education if the Secretary determines that the waiver is necessary in the interests of sound personnel management.

(B) In the case of an officer who has completed two full tours of duty in a joint duty assignment (as described in section 664(f) of this title) and is subsequently nominated for the joint specialty, the Secretary may waive the requirement that the officer have successfully completed a program of education referred to in paragraph (1)(A) if the Secretary determines that-

(i) it would be impractical to require the officer to complete such a program at the current stage of the officer's career; and

(ii) the types of joint duty assignments completed by the officer have been of sufficient breadth to prepare the officer adequately for the joint specialty.

(C) A waiver under subparagraph (A) or (B) may be made only under unusual circumstances justifying deviation from the conditions established in paragraph (1) for selection of an officer for the joint specialty.

(D) The authority of the Secretary of Defense to grant a waiver under this paragraph may be delegated only to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. Such a waiver may be granted only on a case-by-case basis in the case of an individual officer and in the case of a general or flag officer only under exceptional circumstances in which the waiver is necessary to meet a critical need of the armed forces, as determined by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The total number of waivers granted under this paragraph for officers in the same pay grade during any fiscal year may not exceed 10 percent of the total number of officers in that pay grade selected for the joint specialty during that fiscal year.

(4) For purposes of this chapter, a school that is organized within, and operated by, a military department may not be construed to be a joint professional military education school.

(d) Number of Joint Duty Assignments.-(1) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that approximately one-half of the joint duty assignment positions in grades above captain or, in the case of the Navy, lieutenant are filled at any time by officers who-

(A) have the joint specialty; or

(B) have been nominated for the joint specialty and-

(i) have successfully completed a program of education referred to in subsection (c)(1)(A); or

(ii) have a military occupational specialty that is designated under subsection (c)(2)(A) as a critical occupational specialty involving combat operations.

(2)(A) The Secretary shall designate not fewer than 1,000 joint duty assignment positions as critical joint duty assignment positions. Such designation shall be made by examining each joint duty assignment position and designating under the preceding sentence those positions for which, considering the duties and responsibilities of the position, it is highly important that the occupant be particularly trained in, and oriented toward, joint matters.

(B) Until January 1, 1994, at least 80 percent of the positions designated by the Secretary under subparagraph (A) shall be held at all times by officers who have the joint specialty. On and after January 1, 1994, each position so designated may (subject to subparagraph (C)) be held only by an officer who has the joint specialty.

(C) The Secretary of Defense may, on a case-by-case basis, waive the requirement in the second sentence of subparagraph (B) with respect to a particular assignment of an officer to a position designated as a critical joint duty assignment position. The authority of the Secretary to make such a waiver may be delegated only to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

(D) During the period beginning on October 1, 1992, and ending on January 1, 1993, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the operation, to the date of the report, of the first sentence of subparagraph (B) and on the Secretary's projection for the use of the waiver authority provided under subparagraph (C), including the Secretary's estimate of the average annual number of waivers to be provided under subparagraph (C).

(3)(A) The Secretary shall ensure that, of those joint duty assignment positions that are filled by general or flag officers, a substantial portion are among those positions that are designated under paragraph (2) as critical joint duty assignment positions.

(B) The Secretary shall ensure that, of those positions designated under paragraph (2) as critical joint duty assignment positions, an appropriate portion are filled by officers with the joint specialty who were selected for the joint specialty under subsection (c)(2).

(4) Of the officers serving in joint duty assignment positions covered by paragraph (1) who are described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of that paragraph, not more than 25 percent at any time may be officers described in subparagraph (B)(ii) of that paragraph.

(e) Career Guidelines.-The Secretary, with the advice of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shall establish career guidelines for officers with the joint specialty. Such guidelines shall include guidelines for-

(1) selection;

(2) military education;

(3) training;

(4) types of duty assignments; and

(5) such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate.

(f) Treatment of Certain Service.-Any service by an officer in the grade of captain or, in the case of the Navy, lieutenant in a joint duty assignment shall be considered to be service in a joint duty assignment for purposes of all laws (including section 619(e)(1) of this title) establishing a requirement or condition with respect to an officer's service in a joint duty assignment.

(Added Pub. L. 99–433, title IV, §401(a), Oct. 1, 1986, 100 Stat. 1025 ; amended Pub. L. 100–180, div. A, title XIII, §1301–1302(b), Dec. 4, 1987, 101 Stat. 1168 , 1169; Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title V, §§511, 512(a), 517(a), 518, Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1968 , 1971; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title XI, §§1113, 1122, Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1554 , 1556.)

Amendments

1989-Subsec. (c)(1)(B), (3)(A). Pub. L. 101–189, §1113, substituted "(as described in section 664(f) of this title (other than in paragraph (2) thereof))" for "(as described in section 664(f)(1) or (f)(3) of this title)".

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 101–189, §1122, added par. (4).

1988-Subsec. (c)(3)(D). Pub. L. 100–456, §511, inserted "for officers in the same pay grade" after "under this paragraph", substituted "10 percent" for "5 percent", and inserted "in that pay grade" after "numbers of officers".

Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 100–456, §512(a), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A), struck out sentence at end which directed that each position so designated by the Secretary could be held only by an officer who had the joint specialty, and added subpars. (B) to (D).

Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 100–456, §517(a), substituted "25 percent" for "one-third".

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–456, §518, added subsec. (f).

1987-Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 100–180, §1301(a)(1), added par. (3).

Subsec. (c)(1)(B). Pub. L. 100–180, §1301(b)(1), inserted "(as described in section 664(f)(1) or (f)(3) of this title)" after "joint duty assignment".

Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 100–180, §1301(b)(2)(A)–(C), designated existing provisions as subpar. (A), substituted "An officer (other than a general or flag officer) who has a military occupational specialty that is" for "An officer who has" and "full tour of duty in a joint duty assignment (as described in section 664(f)(2) of this title)" for "joint duty assignment of not less than two years", and struck out provisions that an officer selected for the joint specialty complete generally applicable requirements for selection under par. (1)(B) as soon as practicable after such officer's selection.

Subsec. (c)(2)(B). Pub. L. 100–180, §1301(b)(2)(D), added subpar. (B).

Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 100–180, §1301(b)(3), added par. (3).

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 100–180, §1302(a)(1), added subpars. (A) and (B) and substituted "by officers who-" for "by officers who have (or have been nominated for) the joint specialty." in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (d)(2) to (4). Pub. L. 100–180, §1302(b), added pars. (2) to (4) and struck out former par. (2) which read as follows: "The Secretary of Defense shall designate not fewer than 1,000 joint duty assignment positions as critical joint duty assignment positions. Each such position shall be held only by an officer with the joint specialty."

Study of Distribution of General and Flag Officer Positions in Joint Duty Assignments

Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title IV, §404, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2398 , directed Secretary of Defense to conduct a study of whether joint organizations of Department of Defense are fully staffed with appropriate number of general and flag officers and, not later than one year after Oct. 23, 1992, submit a report to Congress.

Transition to Joint Officer Personnel Policy

Section 406(a)–(c) of Pub. L. 99–433, as amended by Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title V, §516, Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1971 , provided that:

"(a) Joint Duty Assignments.-(1) Section 661(d) of title 10, United States Code, shall be implemented as rapidly as possible and (except as provided under paragraph (2)) not later than October 1, 1989.

"(2) The first sentence of section 661(d)(2)(B) of such title shall apply with respect to positions designated under the first sentence of section 661(d)(2)(A) of that title as critical joint duty assignment positions which become vacant after January 1, 1989.

"(b) Joint Specialty.-

"(1) Initial selections.-(A) In making the initial selections of officers for the joint specialty under section 661 of title 10, United States Code (as added by section 401 of this Act), the Secretary of Defense may waive the requirement of either subparagraph (A) or (B) (but not both) of subsection (c)(1) of such section in the case of any officer in a grade above captain or, in the case of the Navy, lieutenant.

"(B) In applying such subparagraph (B) to the initial selections of officers for the joint specialty, the Secretary may in the case of any officer-

"(i) waive the requirement that a joint duty assignment be served after the officer has completed an appropriate program at a joint professional military education school;

"(ii) waive the requirement for the length of a joint duty assignment in the case of a joint duty assignment begun by an officer before January 1, 1987, if the officer served in that assignment for a period of sufficient duration (which may not be less than 12 months) to have been considered a full tour of duty under the policies and regulations in effect on September 30, 1986; or

"(iii) consider as a joint duty assignment any tour of duty begun by an officer before October 1, 1986, that involved significant experience in joint matters (as determined by the Secretary) if the officer served in that assignment for a period of sufficient duration (which may not be less than 12 months) for his service to have been considered a full tour of duty under the policies and regulations in effect on September 30, 1986.

"(C) A waiver under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph or under any provision of subparagraph (B) of this paragraph may only be made on a case-by-case basis.

"(D) The authority of the Secretary of Defense to grant a waiver under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this paragraph may be delegated only to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

"(2) Requirement for high standards.-In exercising the authority provided by paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that the highest standards of performance, education, and experience are established and maintained for officers selected for the joint specialty.

"(3) Sunset.-The authority provided by paragraph (1) shall expire on October 1, 1989.

"(c) Career Guidelines.-The career guidelines required to be established by section 661(e) of such title, the procedures required to be established by section 665(a) of such title, and the personnel policies required to be established by section 666 of such title (as added by section 401) shall be established not later than the end of the eight-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 1, 1986]. The provisions of section 665(b) of such title shall be implemented not later than the end of such period."

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in sections 154, 164, 664, 665, 667 of this title.