---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 14512"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "14512"
heading: "Separation at age 66: officers holding certain offices"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/14512"
units:
  - "Subtitle E — Reserve Components"
  - "Part III — Promotion and Retention of Officers on the Reserve Active-Status List"
  - "Chapter 1407 — Failure of Selection for Promotion and Involuntary Separation"
---

# §14512. Separation at age 66: officers holding certain offices

- (a) **Army and Air Force.—**
  - (1) Unless retired, transferred to the Retired [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6), or discharged at an earlier date, a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Army or Air Force who is specified in [paragraph (2)](#a-2) shall on the last day of the month in which the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) becomes 66 years of age, be separated in accordance with [section 14515 of this title](/usc/10/14515.md).
  - (2) [Paragraph (1)](#a-1) applies to a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Army or Air Force who is any of the following:
    - (A) The Chief of the Army [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6), Chief of the Air Force [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6), Director of the [Army National Guard](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-2), or Director of the [Air National Guard](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-4).
    - (B) An adjutant general.
    - (C) If a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Army, the commanding general of the troops of a [State](/usc/10/18232.md?p=1).
- (b) **Navy and Marine Corps.—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/10/12521.md?p=4) of the Navy may defer the retirement under section [14510](/usc/10/14510.md) or [14511](/usc/10/14511.md) of a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Navy in a [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) above captain or a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Marine Corps in a [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) above colonel and retain the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) in an [active status](/usc/10/101.md?p=d-4) until the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) becomes 66 years of age. Not more than 10 [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) may be so deferred at any one time, distributed between the Navy [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) and the Marine Corps [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) as the [Secretary](/usc/10/12521.md?p=4) determines.
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/10/12521.md?p=4) of Defense may defer the retirement of a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) serving in the position of Chief of the Navy [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) or Commander of the Marine Forces [Reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6), but such deferment may not extend beyond the first day of the month following the month in which the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) becomes 66 years of age. A deferment under this paragraph shall not count toward the limitation on the total number of [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) whose retirement may be deferred at any one time under [paragraph (1)](#b-1).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1611, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2953; amended Pub. L. 109–163, div. A, title V, §§ 511, 515(b)(1)(UU), Jan. 6, 2006, 119 Stat. 3231, 3234; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title V, § 503(d), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2178; Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title XVIII, § 1825(b), Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 502.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in sections 3845, 6391(b), and 8845 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–337, § 1629(a)(3), (b)(3), (c)(3).

### Amendments

2008—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1825(b)(1), redesignated subpars. (B) to (D) as (A) to (C), respectively, and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: “The Chief of the National Guard Bureau.”

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 110–181, § 1825(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).

2006—Pub. L. 109–364, § 503(d)(2), substituted “66” for “64” in section catchline.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–163, § 511, designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “who is specified in paragraph (2)” for “who is Chief of the National Guard Bureau, an adjutant general, or if a reserve officer of the Army, commanding general of the troops of a State,”, and added par. (2).

Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 109–364, § 503(d)(1), substituted “66” for “64”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–364, § 503(d)(1), substituted “66” for “64”.

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

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 1691(b)(1) of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as a note under section 10001 of this title.