---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 581"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "581"
heading: "Selective retirement"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/581"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 33A — Appointment, Promotion, and Involuntary Separation and Retirement for Members on the Warrant Officer Active-Duty List"
---

# §581. Selective retirement

- (a) A [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) who holds a [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) above [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3), W–1, and whose name is not on a list of [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) recommended for promotion and who is eligible to retire under any provision of law may be considered for retirement by a selection board convened under [section 573(c) of this title](/usc/10/573.md?p=c). The [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) shall specify the maximum number of [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) that such a board may recommend for retirement.
- (b) A [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) who is recommended for retirement under this section and whose retirement is approved by the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) shall be retired, under any provision of law under which he is eligible to retire, on the date requested by him and approved by the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5), which date shall be not later than the first day of the seventh calendar month beginning after the month in which the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) approves the report of the board which recommended the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) for retirement.
- (c) The retirement of a [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) pursuant to this section shall be considered to be an involuntary retirement for purposes of any other provision of law.
- (d)
  - (1) The [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) shall prescribe regulations for the administration of this section.
  - (2) Such regulations shall require that when the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) submits a list of [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) to a selection board convened under [section 573(c) of this title](/usc/10/573.md?p=c) to consider [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) for selection for retirement under this section, the list shall include—
    - (A) the name of each [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) on the [active-duty list](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-13) in the same [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) or same [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) and competitive category whose position on the [active-duty list](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-13) is between that of the most junior [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) in that [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) whose name is submitted to the board and that of the most senior [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) in that [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) whose name is submitted to the board; or
    - (B) with respect to a group of [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) designated under [subparagraph (A)](#d-2-A) who are in a particular [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) and competitive category, only those [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) in that [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) and competitive category who are also in a particular year group or specialty, or any combination thereof determined by the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5).
  - (3) Such regulations shall establish procedures to exclude from consideration by the board any [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) who has been approved for voluntary retirement, or who is to be mandatorily retired under any other provision of law, during the fiscal year in which the board is convened or during the following fiscal year. An [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) not considered by a selection board convened under [section 573(c) of this title](/usc/10/573.md?p=c) under such regulations because the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) has been approved for voluntary retirement shall be retired on the date approved for the retirement of such [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) as of the convening date of such selection board unless the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) approves a modification of such date in order to prevent a personal hardship for the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) or for other humanitarian reasons.
- (e)
  - (1) The [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) may defer for not more than three months the retirement of an [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) otherwise approved for early retirement under this section in order to prevent a personal hardship to the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) or for other humanitarian reasons. Any such deferral shall be made on a case-by-case basis considering the circumstances of the case of the particular [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) concerned. The authority of the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) to grant such a deferral may not be delegated.
  - (2) An [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) recommended for early retirement under this section, if approved for deferral under [paragraph (1)](#e-1), shall be retired on the date requested by the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1), and approved by the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5), which date shall be not later than the first day of the tenth calendar month beginning after the month in which the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) approves the report of the board which recommended the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) for early retirement.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title XI, § 1112(a), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1500; amended Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title X, § 1052(5), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2499; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title V, § 541(b)(6), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2765; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title V, § 504(a), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 295; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title V, §§ 501, 502(a), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3353.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2014—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 113–291, § 501, redesignated second sentence of par. (1) as (2) and former par. (2) as (3), and, in par. (2), substituted “the list shall include—” for “the list shall include each”, inserted “(A) the name of each” before “warrant officer on the active-duty list”, substituted “; or” for period at end, and added subpar. (B).

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 113–291, § 502(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1), substituted “three months” for “90 days”, and added par. (2).

1996—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104–106 added subsec. (e).

1994—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–337 struck out “in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps” after “A regular warrant officer”.

1992—Subsec. (d)(2). Pub. L. 102–484 substituted “board” for “Board” in two places in first sentence.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1994 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 103–337 effective on the first day of the fourth month beginning after Oct. 5, 1994, see section 541(h) of Pub. L. 103–337, set out as a note under section 571 of this title.

### Effective Date

Section effective Feb. 1, 1992, see section 1132 of Pub. L. 102–190, set out as an Effective Date of 1991 Amendment note under section 521 of this title.