Section is based on Pub. L. 95–79, title VIII, § 811(a), July 30, 1977, 91 Stat. 335, as amended by Pub. L. 96–107, title VIII, § 817, Nov. 9, 1979, 93 Stat. 818; Pub. L. 96–342, title X, § 1003, Sept. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 1120; Pub. L. 97–86, title VI, § 602, Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1110.

Present law (section 811(a) of Public Law 95–79, as amended) provides that the authority to suspend the limitation on the number of general and flag officers who may be serving on active duty applies during war or national emergency. In codifying the limitation (in section 526 of title 10 as proposed to be added by section 1(b) of the bill), the committee determined that the same war and emergency waiver authority as applies to other limitations on the number of officers on active duty under the existing 10 U.S.C. 526 (redesignated as 10 U.S.C. 527 by the bill) should apply with respect to this limitation and accordingly amended the suspension authority in present law to include the codified general and flag officer limitation. This ­authority is slightly different from the waiver ­authority in the source law in that the suspension would expire 2 years after it takes effect or 1 year after the end of the war or national emergency, whichever occurs first, rather than upon termination of the war or emergency.

A prior section 526 was renumbered section 527 of this title.

2008—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 110–417, § 503(a), substituted “307” for “302”.

Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 110–417, § 503(b), substituted “81” for “80”.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 110–417, § 503(c), substituted “65” for “12”.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 110–417, § 525, substituted “up to three general and flag officer positions” for “a general and flag officer position”.

Pub. L. 110–181, § 1824(c), substituted “15 general and flag officer positions in” for “10 general and flag officer positions on the staffs of the commanders of”.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–181, § 502, designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

2006—Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 109–163, § 510, inserted “, and a general and flag officer position on the Joint Staff,” after “combatant commands”.

Subsec. (b)(2)(C)(i). Pub. L. 109–163, § 515(b)(1)(C), substituted “Navy Reserve” for “Naval Reserve”.

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–163, § 503(b)(2), substituted “Certain Reserve Officers” for “Certain Officers” in heading.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–163, § 503(b)(1), added subsec. (e).

Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 109–364 added subsec. (f).

2003—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 108–136 struck out par. (3) which read as follows: “This subsection shall cease to be effective on December 31, 2004.”

2002—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 107–314, § 405(c), substituted “December 31, 2004” for “October 1, 2002”.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 107–314, § 1041(a)(3), struck out heading and text of subsec. (c). Text read as follows:

“(1) Not later than 60 days before an action specified in paragraph (2) may become effective, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report providing notice of the intended action and an analytically based justification for the intended action.

“(2) Paragraph (1) applies in the case of the following actions:

“(A) A change in the grade authorized as of July 1, 1994, for a general officer position in the National Guard Bureau, a general or flag officer position in the Office of a Chief of a reserve component, or a general or flag officer position in the headquarters of a reserve component command.

“(B) Assignment of a reserve component officer to a general officer position in the National Guard Bureau, to a general or flag officer position in the Office of a Chief of a reserve component, or to a general or flag officer position in the headquarters of a reserve component command in a grade other than the grade authorized for that position as of July 1, 1994.

“(C) Assignment of an officer other than a general or flag officer as the military executive to the Reserve Forces Policy Board.”

1999—Subsec. (b)(2), (3). Pub. L. 106–65, § 553, added par. (2) and redesignated former par. (2) as (3).

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 106–65, § 1067(1), substituted “and the Committee on Armed Services” for “and the Committee on National Security”.

1998—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 105–261 substituted “October 1, 2002” for “October 1, 1998”.

1996—Subsec. (a)(1) to (3). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1503(a)(3)(A), added pars. (1) to (3) and struck out former pars. (1) to (3) which read as follows:

“(1) For the Army, 386 before October 1, 1995, and 302 on and after that date.

“(2) For the Navy, 250 before October 1, 1995, and 216 on and after that date.

“(3) For the Air Force, 326 before October 1, 1995, and 279 on and after that date.”

Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 104–201 substituted “80” for “68”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1503(a)(3)(B)–(D), redesignated subsec. (c) as (b), struck out “that are applicable on and after October 1, 1995” after “limitations in subsection (a)”, and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “Transfers Between Services.—During the period before October 1, 1995, the Secretary of Defense may increase the number of general officers on active duty in the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps, or the number of flag officers on active duty in the Navy, above the applicable number specified in subsection (a) by a total of not more than five. Whenever any such increase is made, the Secretary shall make a corresponding reduction in the number of such officers that may serve on active duty in general or flag officer grades in one of the other armed forces.”

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1503(a)(3)(C), (E), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and, in par. (2)(B), struck out “the” after “general officer position in the” and inserted “to” after “reserve component, or” and “than” after “in a grade other”. Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1503(a)(3)(C), redesignated subsec. (e) as (d). Former subsec. (d) redesignated (c).

Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1502(a)(1), substituted “Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives” for “Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives”.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–106, § 1503(a)(3)(C), redesignated subsec. (e) as (d).

1994—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 103–337, § 404, struck out “before October 1, 1995, and 61 on and after that date” after “Corps, 68”.

Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 103–337, § 512, added subsecs. (d) and (e).

1992—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–484, § 403(b), inserted heading.

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–484, § 403(a), added subsec. (c).

1990—Pub. L. 101–510 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The total number of general officers on active duty in the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps and flag officers on active duty in the Navy may not exceed 1,073.”

Section 403(a) of Pub. L. 101–510 provided that the amendment made by that section is effective Sept. 30, 1991.

Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title V, § 503(e), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4434, provided that:

“(1) Reservation of army increase.—The increase in the number of general officers on active duty in the Army, as authorized by the amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] is reserved for general officers in the Army who serve in an acquisition position.

“(2) Reservation of portion of increase in joint duty assignments excluded from limitation.—Of the increase in the number of general officer and flag officer joint duty assignments that may be designated for exclusion from the limitations on the number of general officers and flag officers on active duty, as authorized by the amendment made by subsection (c) [amending this section], five of the designated assignments are reserved for general officers or flag officers who serve in an acquisition position, including one assignment in the Defense Contract Management Agency.”