U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 668. Definitions

(a) Joint Matters.—

(1) In this chapter, the term “joint matters” means matters related to the achievement of unified action by integrated military forces in operations conducted across domains such as land, sea, or air, in space, or in the information environment, including matters relating to—

(A) national military strategy;

(B) strategic planning and contingency planning;

(D) national security planning with other departments and agencies of the United States; or

(E) combined operations with military forces of allied nations.

(2) In the context of joint matters, the term “integrated military forces” refers to military forces that are involved in the planning or execution (or both) of operations involving participants from—

(A) more than one military department; or

(B) a military department and one or more of the following:

(i) Other departments and agencies of the United States.

(ii) The military forces or agencies of other countries.

(iii) Non-governmental persons or entities.

(b) Joint Duty Assignment.—

(1) The Secretary of Defense shall by regulation define the term “joint duty assignment” for the purposes of this chapter. That definition—

(A) shall be limited to assignments in which the officer gains significant experience in joint matters; and

(B) shall exclude assignments for joint training and education, except an assignment as an instructor responsible for preparing and presenting courses in areas of the curricula designated in section 2155 (c) of this title as part of a program designated by the Secretary of Defense as joint professional military education Phase II.

(2) The Secretary shall publish a joint duty assignment list showing—

(A) the positions that are joint duty assignment positions under such regulation and the number of such positions and, of those positions, those that are positions held by general or flag officers and the number of such positions; and

(B) of the positions listed under subparagraph (A), those that are critical joint duty assignment positions and the number of such positions and, of those positions, those that are positions held by general or flag officers and the number of such positions.

(c) Clarification of “Tour of Duty”.— For purposes of this chapter, a tour of duty in which an officer serves in more than one joint duty assignment without a break between such assignments shall be considered to be a single tour of duty in a joint duty assignment.

(d) Critical Occupational Specialty.—

(1) In this chapter, the term “critical occupational specialty” means a military occupational specialty involving combat operations within the combat arms, in the case of the Army, or the equivalent arms, in the case of the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, that the Secretary of Defense designates as critical.

(2) At a minimum, the Secretary of Defense shall designate as a critical occupational specialty under paragraph (1) any military occupational specialty within a combat arms (or the equivalent) that is experiencing a severe shortage of trained officers in that specialty, as determined by the Secretary.

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