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The objectives of the promotion system are consistent with statutory requisites and the realities of the Army structure and authorizations.

The legal basis for the officer promotion system is contained in Title 10, United States Code (USC). This law prescribes strength and grade authorizations, promotion list components, promotion pro­cedures, and separation procedures resulting from non-selection. The statutory requirements of Title 10 USC have been promulgated through regulatory, directive, and policy means in the establishment and administration of the promotion system. Joint Promotion Objectives found in Title 10 state that the qualifications of officers assigned to joint duty assignments (JDA) and officers designated as Joint Specialty Officers (JSO) should be such that:

(1) Officers who are serving, or have served, on the Joint Staff are expected, as a group, to be promoted to the next higher grade at a rate not less than the rate for officers in the same military service in the same grade and competitive category who are serving, or who have served, on the headquarters staff of their military service.

(2) JSOs are expected, as a group, to be promoted at a rate not less than the rate for officers in the same military service in the same grade and competitive category who are serving, or who have served, on the headquarters staff of their military service.

(3) Officers who are serving, or have served, in JDAs (excluding officers on the Joint Staff and JSOs) are expected, as a group, to be promoted to the next higher grade at a rate not less than the rate for all officers in the same military service in the same grade and competitive category.

The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) became effective 15 September 1981. DOPMA was a major revision to Title 10 USC and is now the basis for the management of the officer corps. In 1984, the DOPMA provisions of Title 10 USC were amended to overcome certain unintended consequences of the original act and to give the Service secretaries more flexibility in limiting eligibility for promotion consideration. The current law:

(1) Establishes statutory limitations on the number of officers who may serve in senior grades.

(2) Provides common law for the appointment of Regular officers and for the Active Duty List service of Reserve officers.

(3) Provides uniform promotion procedures for officers in the separate Services.

(4) Provides common provisions governing career expectation in the various grades.

(5) Establishes common mandatory separation and retirement points for regular commissioned officers.

(6) Increases the amount of separation pay for officers separated involuntarily short of retirement.

(7) Provides related authorities to manage the officer force under the revised personnel system.

(8) Increases the flexibility of Presidential authority under mobi­lization in times of declared crisis.

The Defense Acquisition Work force Improvement Act (DAWIA) of 1990 directed the Secretary of Defense ensure that the qualifications of commissioned officers selected for the Army Ac­quisition Corps are such that those officers are expected, as a group, to be promoted at a rate not less than the rate for the Army Compet­itive Category (both in-the-zone and below-the-zone) in the same grade.

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Above information derived from Army Pamplet 600-3