---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 9901"
title: "5"
title_heading: "Government Organization and Employees"
number: "9901"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/5/9901"
units:
  - "Part III — Employees"
  - "Subpart I — Miscellaneous"
  - "Chapter 99 — Department of Defense Personnel Authorities"
---

# §9901. Definitions


For purposes of this chapter—

- (1) the term “[Director](/usc/5/8401.md?p=8)” means the [Director](/usc/5/8401.md?p=8) of the [Office](/usc/5/5402.md?p=3) of Personnel Management; and
- (2) the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Defense.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title XI, § 1101(a)(1), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1621.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Impact on Department of Defense Civilian Personnel

Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title XI, § 1101(b), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1633, provided that: Any exercise of authority under chapter 99 of such title [this chapter] (as added by subsection (a)), including under any system established under such chapter, shall be in conformance with the requirements of this subsection. No other provision of this Act [see Tables for classification] or of any amendment made by this Act may be construed or applied in a manner so as to limit, supersede, or otherwise affect the provisions of this section [enacting this chapter], except to the extent that it does so by specific reference to this section.”