---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 1608"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "1608"
heading: "Time-limited appointments"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/1608"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 83 — Civilian Defense Intelligence Employees"
  - "Subchapter I — Defense-Wide Intelligence Personnel Policy"
---

# §1608. Time-limited appointments

- (a) **Authority for Time-Limited Appointments.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense may by regulation authorize appointing officials to make time-limited appointments to [defense intelligence positions](/usc/10/1614.md?p=1) specified in the regulations.
- (b) **Review of Use of Authority.—** The [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of Defense shall review each time-limited appointment in a [defense intelligence position](/usc/10/1614.md?p=1) at the end of the first year of the period of the appointment and determine whether the appointment should be continued for the remainder of the period. The continuation of a time-limited appointment after the first year shall be subject to the approval of the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3).
- (c) **Condition on Permanent Appointment to Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service.—** An employee serving in a [defense intelligence position](/usc/10/1614.md?p=1) pursuant to a time-limited appointment is not eligible for a permanent appointment to a Defense Intelligence [Senior Executive Service position](/usc/10/1614.md?p=6) (including a position in which the employee is serving) unless the employee is selected for the permanent appointment on a competitive basis.
- (d) **Time-Limited Appointment Defined.—** In this section, the term “time-limited appointment” means an appointment (subject to the condition in [subsection (b)](#b)) for a period not to exceed two years.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title XVI, § 1632(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2748.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 1608 was renumbered section 1623 of this title.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1996, see section 1635 of Pub. L. 104–201, set out as an Effective Date of 1996 Amendment note under section 1593 of this title.