10 U.S.C. § 8373

(a) Subject to section 12645 of this title , an officer in an active status in the Navy Reserve in the permanent grade of lieutenant or lieutenant (junior grade), and an officer in an active status in the Marine Corps Reserve in the permanent grade of captain or first lieutenant, who is considered as having twice failed of selection for promotion to the next higher grade while on the active-duty list may, in the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy, be eliminated from an active status or released from active duty and placed on the reserve active-status list. (b) An officer who is to be eliminated from an active status under subsection (a) shall, if qualified, be given an opportunity to request transfer to the appropriate Retired Reserve and, if he requests it, shall be so transferred. If he is not so transferred, he shall, in the discretion of the Secretary, be transferred to the appropriate inactive status list or be discharged from the Navy Reserve or the Marine Corps Reserve. (c) (1) An officer in an active status in the Navy Reserve in the permanent grade of lieutenant commander or commander, and an officer in an active status in the Marine Corps Reserve in the permanent grade of major or lieutenant colonel, who is considered as having twice failed of selection for promotion to the next higher grade while on the active-duty list shall, if qualified, be given an opportunity to request transfer to the appropriate Retired Reserve. If he is not so transferred, he shall be discharged from the Navy Reserve or the Marine Corps Reserve if he has completed a period of total commissioned service equal to that specified below for the permanent grade in which he is serving: Grade Total commissioned service Navy Marine Corps Commander Lieutenant colonel 28 years. Lieutenant commander Major 20 years. (2) Notwithstanding the first sentence of paragraph (1), the Secretary may defer the retirement or discharge of such number of officers serving in the grade of lieutenant commander as are necessary to maintain the authorized officer strength of the Ready Reserve, but the duration of such deferment for any individual officer may not be in excess of five years. (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary may defer the retirement or discharge under this subsection of an officer serving in the permanent grade of lieutenant commander or commander in the Navy Reserve or in the permanent grade of major or lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve for a period of time which does not exceed the amount of service in an active status which was credited to the officer at the time of his original appointment or thereafter under any provision of law, if the officer can complete at least 20 years of service as computed under section 12732 of this title during the period of such deferment. (4) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Secretary may defer the retirement or discharge under this subsection of such number of officers serving in the permanent grade of commander in the Medical Corps, Chaplain Corps, or Dental Corps in the Navy Reserve as are necessary to provide for mobilization requirements. (d) For the purposes of subsection (c), the total commissioned service of an officer who has served continuously in the Navy Reserve or the Marine Corps Reserve following appointment therein in the permanent grade of ensign or second lieutenant, as the case may be, shall be computed from June 30 of the fiscal year in which he accepted the appointment. Each other officer is considered to have for this purpose as much total commissioned service as the years of active commissioned service of any regular officer on the active-duty list of the Navy not restricted in the performance of duty, or any regular officer on the active-duty list of the Marine Corps not restricted in the performance of duty, as appropriate, who has served continuously since original appointment as an ensign on the active-duty list of the Navy or as a second lieutenant on the active-duty list of the Marine Corps, has not lost numbers or prec­edence, and is, or has been after September 6, 1947 , junior to that other officer. However, the total commissioned service that the other officer is considered to have may not be less than the actual number of years he has served as a commissioned officer in a grade above chief warrant officer, W–5.