10 U.S.C. § 14304 (ARMED FORCES)
§ 14304. Eligibility for consideration for promotion: maximum years of service in grade
(a) Consideration for Promotion Within Specified Times.—
(1) Officers described in paragraph (3) shall be placed in the promotion zone for that officer’s grade and competitive category, and shall be considered for promotion to the next higher grade by a promotion board convened under section 14101(a) of this title, far enough in advance of completing the years of service in grade specified in the following table so that, if the officer is recommended for promotion, the promotion may be effective on or before the date on which the officer will complete those years of service.
Current Grade
Maximum years of service in grade
First lieutenant or Lieutenant (junior grade)
5 years
Captain or Navy Lieutenant
7 years
Major or Lieutenant commander
7 years
(2) Paragraph (1) is subject to subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 14301 of this title and applies without regard to vacancies.
(3) Paragraph (1) applies to an officer who is on the reserve active-status list of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps and who holds a permanent appointment in the grade of first lieutenant, captain, or major as a reserve of the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, or to an officer on the reserve active-status list of the Navy in the grade of lieutenant (junior grade), lieutenant, or lieutenant commander as a reserve of the Navy, and who, while holding that appointment, has not been considered by a selection board convened under section 14101(a) or 14502 of this title for promotion to the next higher grade.
(b) Promotion Date.—
An officer holding a permanent grade specified in the table in subsection (a) who is recommended for promotion to the next higher grade by a selection board the first time the officer is considered for promotion while in or above the promotion zone and who is placed on an approved promotion list established under section 14308(a) of this title shall (if not promoted sooner or removed from that list by the President or by reason of declination) be promoted, without regard to the existence of a vacancy, on the date on which the officer completes the maximum years of service in grade specified in subsection (a). The preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of section 12011 of this title.
(c) Waiver Authority for Navy and Marine Corps Running Mate System.—
If the Secretary of the Navy establishes promotion zones for officers on the reserve active-status list of the Navy or the Marine Corps Reserve in accordance with a running mate system under section 14306 of this title, the Secretary may waive the requirements of subsection (a) to the extent the Secretary considers necessary in any case in which the years of service for promotion, or for consideration for promotion, within those zones will exceed the maximum years of service in grade specified in subsection (a).
(Added Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1611, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2934.)
heading: Minimum Service Qualifications for Promotion
text: Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1685, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 3024, provided that: “During the five-year period beginning on the effective date of this title [Oct. 1, 1996, see section 1691(b)(1), (2) of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10001 of this title], the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Air Force may waive the provisions of section 14304 of title 10, United States Code, as added by this title. The Secretary may, in addition, during any period in which such a waiver is in effect, establish minimum periods of total years of commissioned service an officer must have served to be eligible for consideration for promotion to the grade of captain, major, or lieutenant colonel by boards convened under section 14101(a) of title 10, United States Code, as added by this title.”