Title 10, United States Code - Armed Forces

Scope

Title 10 of the United States Code is the federal statutory framework for the Armed Forces. The title was enacted by Act of 10 August 1956 and revised, codified, and enacted into positive law by section 1 of the same act. The title is the foundation under which DOD instructions, regulations, and orders operate.

Audience

Every Marine, leader, commander, and admin specialist relies on Title 10 indirectly. The MARCORSEPMAN, MCRAMM, leave and liberty policy, and pay rules all trace authority back to specific Title 10 sections.

Subtitle structure

• Subtitle A. General Military Law. Sections 101 through 4001. Personnel, pay, benefits, courts-martial.
• Subtitle B. Army. Sections 7001 and following.
• Subtitle C. Navy and Marine Corps. Sections 8001 and following.
• Subtitle D. Air Force and Space Force. Sections 9011 and following.
• Subtitle E. Reserve Components. Sections 10001 and following.
• Subtitle F. Alternative Military Personnel Systems. Sections 20001 and following.

Key sections cited across the portal

• 10 U.S.C. 509. Recruiting waivers.
• 10 U.S.C. 701. Leave entitlement.
• 10 U.S.C. 1176. Career-status protections for enlisted members.
• 10 U.S.C. 1477, 1482, 1491. Death gratuity and casualty entitlements.
• 10 U.S.C. 2784a. GTCC creditworthiness determination.
• 10 U.S.C. 12301 (a) through (h). Active duty for reservists.
• 10 U.S.C. 12734. Reserve retirement computations.

Authority

United States Congress enacts Title 10. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives maintains the official text at uscode.house.gov. The Government Publishing Office publishes the official print version.

Connection to higher policy

Title 10 sits at the top of the military-personnel authority chain the portal tracks. Congress enacts and amends it through public laws. No implementing layer sits above it in the registry. Title 37 United States Code is the parallel statute for pay and allowances of the uniformed services.

Connection to Marine Corps doctrine and lower policy

• DOD instructions implement Title 10 at the Department of Defense level.
• SECNAV instructions and manuals implement at the Department of the Navy level.
• Marine Corps Orders implement at the Service level. The MARCORSEPMAN and the leave and liberty order trace separation and leave authority to sections 1176 and 701.
• DODFMR Vol 7A implements military pay policy authorized by Title 37 USC, with cross-references to Title 10 sections.

Status

Active and continuously amended. Subtitle F was added by Pub. L. 118-31 in December 2023. Subtitle D was renamed "Air Force and Space Force" by Pub. L. 116-283 in January 2021. The current edition is the United States Code itself. The external link above resolves to the current Title 10 front matter.