10 U.S.C. § 673

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)

Section 673 - Consideration of application for permanent change of station or unit transfer for members on active duty who are the victim of a sexual assault or related offense

(a) TIMELY CONSIDERATION AND ACTION.-The Secretary concerned shall provide for timely determination and action on an application for consideration of a change of station or unit transfer submitted by a member of the armed forces serving on active duty who was a victim of a sexual assault or other offense covered by section 920, 920c, or 930 of this title (article 120, 120c, or 130 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice) so as to reduce the possibility of retaliation against the member for reporting the sexual assault or other offense.

(b) REGULATIONS.-The Secretary concerned shall issue regulations to carry out this section, within guidelines provided by the Secretary of Defense. These guidelines shall provide that the application submitted by a member described in subsection (a) for a change of station or unit transfer must be approved or disapproved by the member's commanding officer within five calendar days of the submission of the application. Additionally, if the application is disapproved by the commanding officer, the member shall be given the opportunity to request review by the first general officer or flag officer in the chain of command of the member, and that decision must be made within five calendar days of submission of the request for review.

10 U.S.C. § 673

Added Pub. L. 112-81, div. A, title V, §582(a), Dec. 31, 2011, 125 Stat. 1432; amended Pub. L. 113-66, div. A, title X, §1091(a)(8), title XVII, §1712, Dec. 26, 2013, 127 Stat. 876, 963; Pub. L. 115-91, div. A, title X, §1081(c)(2)(A), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1599; Pub. L. 116-283, div. A, title V, §531(a), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3601.

EDITORIAL NOTES

PRIOR PROVISIONSA prior section 673 was renumbered section 12302 of this title.

AMENDMENTS2021-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116-283 substituted "five calendar days" for "72 hours" in two places. 2017-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115-91 substituted "920c, or 930" for "920a, or 920c" and "120c, or 130" for "120a, or 120c". 2013-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113-66, §1091(a)(8), inserted "of the Uniform Code of Military Justice" after "120c". Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 113-66, §1712, substituted "The Secretary concerned" for "The Secretaries of the military departments".

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2021 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 116-283, div. A, title V, §531(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3601, provided that: "The amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], and shall apply to decisions on applications for permanent change of station or unit transfer made under section 673 of title 10, United States Code, on or after that date."

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2017 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 115-91 effective immediately after the amendments made by div. E (§§5001-5542) of Pub. L. 114-328 take effect as provided for in section 5542 of that Act (10 U.S.C. 801 note) [amendments effective Jan. 1, 2019], see section 1081(c)(4) of Pub. L. 115-91, set out as a note under section 801 of this title.

STANDARDIZATION OF POLICIES RELATED TO EXPEDITED TRANSFER IN CASES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT OR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Pub. L. 115-232, div. A, title V, §536, Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1761, provided that:"(a) POLICIES FOR MEMBERS.-The Secretary of Defense shall modify, in accordance with section 673 of title 10, United States Code, all policies that the Secretary determines necessary to establish a standardized expedited transfer process for a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps who is the alleged victim of-"(1) sexual assault (regardless of whether the case is handled under the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program or Family Advocacy Program); or"(2) physical domestic violence (as defined by the Secretary in regulations prescribed under this section) committed by the spouse or intimate partner of the member, regardless of whether the spouse or intimate partner is a member of the Armed Forces."(b) POLICY FOR DEPENDENTS OF MEMBERS.-The Secretary of Defense shall establish a policy to allow the transfer of a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps whose dependent is the victim of sexual assault perpetrated by a member of the Armed Forces who is not related to the victim."

spouse: "spouse" means husband or wife, as the case may be.
Secretary concerned: The term "Secretary concerned" means-(A) the Secretary of the Army, with respect to matters concerning the Army;(B) the Secretary of the Navy, with respect to matters concerning the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard when it is operating as a service in the Department of the Navy;(C) the Secretary of the Air Force, with respect to matters concerning the Air Force and the Space Force; and(D) the Secretary of Homeland Security, with respect to matters concerning the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy.
active duty: The term "active duty" means full-time duty in the active military service of the United States, including sustained duty in the Space Force. Such term includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned. Such term does not include full-time National Guard duty.
armed forces: The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
flag officer: The term "flag officer" means an officer of the Navy or Coast Guard serving in or having the grade of admiral, vice admiral, rear admiral, or rear admiral (lower half).
general officer: The term "general officer" means an officer of the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Space Force serving in or having the grade of general, lieutenant general, major general, or brigadier general.
military departments: The term "military departments" means the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force.
officer: The term "officer" means a commissioned or warrant officer.