---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 625"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "625"
heading: "Authority to vacate promotions to grades of brigadier general and rear admiral (lower half)"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/625"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 36 — Promotion, Separation, and Involuntary Retirement of Officers on the Active-Duty List"
  - "Subchapter II — Promotions"
---

# §625. Authority to vacate promotions to grades of brigadier general and rear admiral (lower half)

- (a) The President may vacate the promotion to the [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of brigadier general or rear admiral (lower half) of an [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) who has served less than 18 months in that [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) after promotion to that [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) under this chapter.
- (b) An [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps whose promotion is vacated under this section holds the [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of colonel, if he is a [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1), or the [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of colonel, if he is a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1). An [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) of the Navy whose promotion is vacated under this section holds the [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of captain, if he is a [regular](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-12) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1), or the [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of captain, if he is a [reserve](/usc/10/101.md?p=c-6) [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1).
- (c) The position on the [active-duty list](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-13) of an [officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) whose promotion is vacated under this section is the position he would have held had he not been promoted to the [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of brigadier general or rear admiral (lower half).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 96–513, title I, § 105, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2858; amended Pub. L. 97–86, title IV, § 405(b)(1), (4)(A), Dec. 1, 1981, 95 Stat. 1105; Pub. L. 99–145, title V, § 514(b)(1), (4)(A), Nov. 8, 1985, 99 Stat. 628; Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, § 924(b)(3)(H), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3821; Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title XVII, § 1722(b)(4), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 668.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2023—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 118–31 substituted “or Marine Corps” for “Marine Corps, or Space Force”.

2021—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “Marine Corps, or Space Force” for “or Marine Corps”.

1985—Pub. L. 99–145 substituted “rear admiral (lower half)” for “commodore” in section catchline and subsecs. (a) and (c).

1981—Pub. L. 97–86 substituted “commodore” for “commodore admiral” in section catchline and subsecs. (a) and (c).

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1981 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 97–86 effective Sept. 15, 1981, see section 405(f) of Pub. L. 97–86, set out as a note under section 101 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.