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(3) in subsection (e), by striking out the period
at the end and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘and by the
Secretary of Transportation with respect to the
Coast Guard.’’.
Subtitle C—Warrant Officers
SEC. 531. AUTHORIZATION FOR INVOLUNTARY SEPARA-
TION OF CERTAIN REGULAR WARRANT OFFI-
CERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 33A of title 10, United
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 580 the
following new section:
‘‘§ 580a. Enhanced authority for selective early dis-
charges
‘‘(a) The Secretary of Defense may authorize the Sec-
retary of a military department, during the two-year pe-
riod beginning on October 1, 1993, to take the action set
forth in subsection (b) with respect to regular warrant of-
ficers of an armed force under the jurisdiction of that Sec-
retary.
‘‘(b) The Secretary of a military department may,
with respect to regular warrant officers of an armed force,
when authorized to do so under subsection (a), convene
selection boards under section 573(c) of this title to con-
sider for discharge regular warrant officers on the warrant
officer active-duty list—
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‘‘(1) who have served at least one year of active
duty in the grade currently held;
‘‘(2) whose names are not on a list of warrant
officers recommended for promotion; and
‘‘(3) who are not eligible to be retired under
any provision of law and are not within two years
of becoming so eligible.
‘‘(c)(1) In the case of an action under subsection (b),
the Secretary of the military department concerned may
submit to a selection board convened pursuant to that
subsection—
‘‘(A) the names of all regular warrant officers
described in that subsection in a particular grade
and competitive category; or
‘‘(B) the names of all regular warrant officers
described in that subsection in a particular grade
and competitive category who also are in particular
year groups or specialties, or both, within that com-
petitive category.
‘‘(2) The Secretary concerned shall specify the total
number of warrant officers to be recommended for dis-
charge by a selection board convened pursuant to sub-
section (b). That number may not be more than 30 per-
cent of the number of officers considered—
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‘‘(A) in each grade in each competitive cat-
egory; or
‘‘(B) in each grade, year group, or specialty (or
combination thereof) in each competitive category.
‘‘(3) The total number of regular warrant officers de-
scribed in subsection (b) from any of the armed forces (or
from any of the armed forces in a particular grade) who
may be recommended during a fiscal year for discharge
by a selection board convened pursuant to the authority
of that subsection may not exceed 70 percent of the de-
crease, as compared to the preceding fiscal year, in the
number of warrant officers of that armed force (or the
number of warrant officers of that armed force in that
grade) authorized to be serving on active duty as of the
end of that fiscal year.
‘‘(4) A warrant officer who is recommended for dis-
charge by a selection board convened pursuant to the au-
thority of subsection (b) and whose discharge is approved
by the Secretary concerned shall be discharged on a date
specified by the Secretary concerned.
‘‘(5) Selection of warrant officers for discharge under
this subsection shall be based on the needs of the service.
‘‘(d) The discharge of any warrant officer pursuant
to this section shall be considered involuntary for purposes
of any other provision of law.’’.
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
at the beginning of chapter 33A is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 580 the following new
item:
‘‘580a. Enhanced authority for selective early discharges.’’.
SEC. 532. DETERMINATION OF SERVICE FOR WARRANT OF-
FICER RETIREMENT SANCTUARY.
(a) EQUITY
WITH
OTHER
MEMBERS.—Section
580(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(except as provided in sub-
paragraph (C))’’ in subparagraph (A) after ‘‘shall be
separated’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph:
‘‘(C) If on the date on which a warrant officer is to
be separated under subparagraph (A) the warrant officer
has at least 18 years of creditable active service, the war-
rant officer shall be retained on active duty until retired
under paragraph (3) in the same manner as if the warrant
officer had had at least 18 years of service on the applica-
ble date under subparagraph (A) or (B) of that para-
graph.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
subsection (a) shall apply to warrant officers who have not
been separated pursuant to section 580(a)(4) of title 10,
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United States Code, before the date of enactment of this
Act.
Subtitle D—Women in the Service
SEC. 541. REPEAL OF THE STATUTORY RESTRICTION ON
THE ASSIGNMENT OF WOMEN IN THE NAVY
AND MARINE CORPS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6015 of title 10, United
States Code, is repealed.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
at the beginning of chapter 555 of this title is amended
by striking out the item relating to section 6015.
SEC. 542. GENDER-NEUTRAL OCCUPATIONAL PERFORM-
ANCE STANDARDS.
(a) GENERAL REQUIREMENT.—In the case of any
military occupational career field that is open to both male
and female members of the Armed Forces, the Secretary
of Defense—
(1) shall ensure that qualification of members
of the Armed Forces for, and continuance of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces in, that occupational ca-
reer field is evaluated on the basis of common, rel-
evant performance standards, without differential
standards or evaluation on the basis of gender;
(2) may not use any gender quota, goal, or ceil-
ing except as specifically authorized by law; and
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(3) may not change an occupational perform-
ance standard for the purpose of increasing or de-
creasing the number of women in that occupational
career field.
(b) REQUIREMENT FOR USE OF SPECIFIC PHYSICAL
REQUIREMENTS.—For any military occupational field
that is open to both male and female members of the
Armed Forces for which (as determined by the Secretary
of Defense) muscular strength and endurance and cardio-
vascular capacity are relevant to the performance of duties
in that field, the Secretary shall prescribe specific physical
requirements for members of the Armed Forces in that
field and shall apply those physical requirements on a gen-
der-neutral basis.
(c) NOTICE TO CONGRESS OF CHANGES.—At least
60 days before implementing any changes to occupational
standards for a military occupational field which are ex-
pected to result in an increase, or in a decrease, of at least
10 percent in the number of female members of the Armed
Forces who enter, or are assigned to, that occupational
field, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress
a report providing notice of the change and the justifica-
tion and rationale for the change.
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SEC. 543. NOTICE TO CONGRESS OF CHANGES TO GROUND
COMBAT EXCLUSION POLICY.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—(1) If the Secretary of Defense
proposes to make any change described in paragraph (2)
to the ground combat exclusion policy, the Secretary shall,
not less than 90 days before any such change is imple-
mented, submit to Congress a report providing notice of
the proposed change.
(2) A change referred to in paragraph (1) is a change
that either (A) closes to female members of the Armed
Forces any category of unit or position that at that time
is open to service by such members, or (B) opens to service
by such members any category of unit or position that at
that time is closed to service by such members.
(b) REPORT CONTENTS.—The Secretary shall include
in any report under subsection (a)—
(1) a detailed description of, and justification
for, the proposed change to the ground combat ex-
clusion policy; and
(2) a detailed analysis of legal implication of
the proposed change with respect to the constitu-
tionality of the application of the Military Selective
Service Act to males only.
(c) GROUND COMBAT EXCLUSION POLICY.—For pur-
poses of this section, the term ‘‘ground combat exclusion
policy’’ means the military personnel policies of the De-