--- kind: "section" citation: "10 U.S.C. § 617" title: "10" title_heading: "Armed Forces" number: "617" heading: "Reports of selection boards" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/617" units: - "Subtitle A — General Military Law" - "Part II — Personnel" - "Chapter 36 — Promotion, Separation, and Involuntary Retirement of Officers on the Active-Duty List" - "Subchapter I — Selection Boards" --- # §617. Reports of selection boards - (a) Each selection board convened under [section 611(a) of this title](/usc/10/611.md?p=a) shall submit to the [Secretary](/usc/10/4951.md?p=3) of the [military](/usc/10/801.md?p=8) [department](/usc/10/101.md?p=a-6) concerned a written report, signed by each member of the board, containing a list of the names of the [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) it recommends for promotion and certifying (1) that the board has carefully considered the [record](/usc/10/801.md?p=14) of each [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) whose name was furnished to it under [section 615 of this title](/usc/10/615.md), and (2) that, in the opinion of a majority of the members of the board, the [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) recommended for promotion by the board are best qualified for promotion to meet the needs of the armed force concerned (as noted in the guidelines or information furnished the board under [section 615(b) of this title](/usc/10/615.md?p=b)) among those [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) whose names were furnished to the selection board. - (b) A selection board convened under [section 611(a) of this title](/usc/10/611.md?p=a) shall include in its report to the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) the name of any [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) or [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) before it for consideration for promotion whose [record](/usc/10/801.md?p=14), in the opinion of a majority of the members of the board, indicates that the [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) should be required under chapter [60](/usc/10/chstA/ptII/ch60.md) or [1411](/usc/10/chstE/ptIII/ch1411.md) of this title to show cause for his retention on [active duty](/usc/10/101.md?p=d-1). - (c) A selection board convened under [section 611(a) of this title](/usc/10/611.md?p=a) shall include in its report to the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) the name of any [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) considered and not recommended for promotion by the board who submitted to the board a request not to be selected for promotion or who otherwise directly caused his nonselection through written communication to the Board under [section 614(b) of this title](/usc/10/614.md?p=b). - (d) A selection board convened under [section 611(a) of this title](/usc/10/611.md?p=a) shall, when authorized under [section 616(h) of this title](/usc/10/616.md?p=h), include in its report to the [Secretary concerned](/usc/10/2801.md?p=c-5) the names of those [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) recommended by the board to be placed higher on the promotion list and the order in which the board recommends that those [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) should be placed on the list. ## Source credit (Added Pub. L. 96–513, title I, § 105, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2853; amended Pub. L. 100–456, div. A, title V, § 501(c), Sept. 29, 1988, 102 Stat. 1966; Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title X, § 1052(8), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2499; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1623, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2961; Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title V, § 502(b), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2003; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title V, § 503(a), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 590; Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title V, § 504(b), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1742; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title X, § 1081(a)(18), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3871.) ## Notes ### Editorial Notes ### Amendments 2021—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “section 616(h)” for “section 616(g)”. 2018—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–232 added subsec. (d). 1999—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–65 struck out “regular” before “officer”. 1998—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–261 added subsec. (c). 1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–337 inserted “or reserve” after “any regular” and “or 1411” after “chapter 60”. 1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–484 substituted “section 615(b)” for “section 615(a)”. 1988—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 100–456 inserted “(as noted in the guidelines or information furnished the board under section 615(a) of this title)” after “concerned”. ### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries ### Effective Date of 1999 Amendment Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title V, § 503(b), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 590, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to boards convened under section 611(a) of title 10, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 5, 1999].” ### Effective Date of 1998 Amendment Pub. L. 105–261, div. A, title V, § 502(c), Oct. 17, 1998, 112 Stat. 2003, provided that: “The amendments made by this section [amending this section and section 1174 of this title] shall apply with respect to selection boards convened under section 611(a) of title 10, United States Code, on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 17, 1998].” ### Effective Date of 1994 Amendment Amendment by Pub. L. 103–337 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. ### Effective Date of 1988 Amendment Amendment by Pub. L. 100–456 effective 60 days after Sept. 29, 1988, and applicable with respect to selection boards convened under section 611(a) of this title on or after that effective date, see section 501(e) of Pub. L. 100–456, set out as a note under section 615 of this title. ### Effective Date Section effective Sept. 15, 1981, but the authority to prescribe regulations under this section effective on Dec. 12, 1980, see section 701 of Pub. L. 96–513, set out as an Effective Date of 1980 Amendment note under section 101 of this title.