§7063. Basic branches

(a) The Secretary of the Army may assign members of the Army to its basic branches. The basic branches are-

(1) Infantry;

(2) Armor;

(3) Artillery;

(4) Corps of Engineers;

(5) Signal Corps;

(6) Adjutant General's Corps;

(7) Quartermaster Corps;

(8) Finance Corps;

(9) Ordnance Corps;

(10) Chemical Corps;

(11) Transportation Corps;

(12) Military Police Corps; and

(13) such other basic branches as the Secretary considers necessary.

(b) The Secretary may discontinue or consolidate basic branches of the Army for the duration of any war, or of any national emergency declared by Congress.

(c) The Secretary may not assign to a basic branch any commissioned officer appointed in a special branch.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 166 , §3063; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, §582(a), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1415 ; renumbered §7063, Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §808(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1838 .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
3063(a)	10:1g(a) (less words of 1st sentence after semicolon, and less last sentence).	June 28, 1950, ch. 383, §306(a), 64 Stat. 269 .
3063(b)	10:1g(a) (last sentence).
3063(c)	10:1g(a) (words of 1st sentence after semicolon).

In subsection (a), the words "The basic branches are" are substituted for the words "There shall be in the Army certain branches, which shall be known as basic branches of the Army" and "The basic branches of the Army shall be".

In subsection (b), the words "enumerated in this subsection" are omitted as surplusage. The word "hereafter" is omitted, since all wars and emergencies declared by Congress before June 29, 1950, have been terminated.

In subsection (c), the words "and commissioned" are omitted as covered by the word "appointed". The words "specified in subsection (b) of this section" are omitted as surplusage. The word "commissioned" is inserted before the word "officer", for clarity.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018-Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 3063 of this title as this section.

2017-Subsec. (a)(13), (14). Pub. L. 115–91, which directed the redesignation of par. (13) as (14) and the addition of a new par. (13) "Explosive Ordnance Disposal Corps; and", was not executed pursuant to section 582(b) of Pub. L. 115–91, set out as an Effective Date and Condition on Execution of 2017 Amendment note below.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2018 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of amendments and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date and Condition on Execution of 2017 Amendment

Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, §582(b), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1415 , as amended by Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title V, §593, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3666 , provided that:

"(1) Effective date.-The amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on October 1, 2025, but only if the report required by paragraph (2) is not submitted before that date as required by such paragraph.

"(2) Reporting requirement.-Not later than September 30, 2025, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report containing certifications that the following actions have occurred as of that date:

"(A) The defense budget materials display funding requirements for explosive ordnance disposal separately and a program of record is established and maintained for explosive ordnance disposal.

"(B) A process has been established to ensure that, by not later than five years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 12, 2017], there is, and will continue to be, at least one general officer in the Army, the explosive ordnance disposal commandant (chief of explosive ordnance disposal), qualified regarding issues involving explosive ordnance disposal to ensure officer professional development and upward mobility.

"(C) The Ordnance Personnel Proponency Office is, and will continue to be, manned with an explosive ordnance disposal officer to oversee explosive ordnance disposal officer and enlisted personnel proponency.

"(D) Explosive ordnance disposal officer education has been included in a basic officer leadership course, a captains career course, and a policy and planning course specific to explosive ordnance disposal as part of intermediate level education and pre-command courses.

"(E) The office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G8, and the office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G3, have, and will continue to be, manned with explosive ordnance disposal officers responsible for the decision management decision packages, ammunition organizational integration, and force modernization related to explosive ordnance disposal.

"(F) The Army has established and maintained explosive ordnance disposal cells at the Army Forces Command, Army Service Component Commands, Army Special Operations Command, Army Training and Doctrine Command, and the Army Capability and Integration Center.

"(G) The explosive ordnance disposal commandant (chief of explosive ordnance disposal) has determined whether explosive ordnance disposal soldiers have the appropriate skills necessary to support missions of special operations forces (as identified in section 167(j) of title 10, United States Code). Such skills may include airborne, air assault, combat diver, fast roping insertion and extraction, helocasting, military free-fall, and off-road driving.

"(3) Notice of report.-The Secretary of the Army shall notify the Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives of the submission of the report under paragraph (2) so that the Law Revision Counsel does not execute the amendments made by subsection (a)."

[The report required by section 582(b)(2) of Pub. L. 115–91, set out above, was submitted to Congress on Sept. 17, 2020.]

Philippine Scouts

Act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, §42, 70A Stat. 636 , provided that: "The President is authorized to form the Philippine Scouts into such branches and tactical units as he may deem expedient, within the limit of strength prescribed by law, organized similarly to those of the Regular Army."