DOPMA/ROPMA Policy Reference Tool

Competitive Categories:

A competitive category is a separate promotion category established by a Service Secretary for specific groups of officers whose specialized education, training, or experience and often relatively narrow utilization, makes separate career management desirable.

Federal Law

10 U.S. Code § 521: Service Secretaries may prescribe the strength of any category of active-duty officers under their authority.

10 U.S. Code § 621: Under regulations prescribed by the SECDEF, Service Secretaries shall establish competitive categories for promotion. Officers sharing a competitive category shall compete with each other for promotion opportunities.

10 U.S. Code § 623: Service Secretaries establish promotion zones for each grade and competitive category and should provide relatively similar promotion opportunities over the next five years.

10 U.S. Code § 14005: Officers on a reserve active-status list (RASL) shall be placed in competitive categories as specified by the Service Secretaries. Officers sharing a competitive category shall compete with each other for promotion opportunities.

10 U.S. Code § 14305: Service secretaries establish promotion zones for each grade and competitive category for officers on the RASL and should provide relatively similar promotion opportunities over the next five years.

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DoD Policy

DODI 1320.12: Service Secretaries shall establish competitive categories in order to better manage the career development and promotion of certain groups of officers whose specialized education, training, or experiences, and often relatively narrow utilization, make separate career management desirable.

DODI 1320.12 and DODI 1320.13: Promotion timing and opportunity may vary by competitive category, but they should be relatively similar over a period of 5 years within a competitive category. Each competitive category is subject to a limit of 10 percent of officers selected for promotion below the zone, or 15 percent with approval of the SECDEF.

DODI 1320.14: Service Secretaries may set the number of officers authorized for each grade of each competitive category lower than actual requirements in order to meet statutory grade limitations, or higher than actual requirements when warranted by promotion flow considerations within a competitive category.

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Air Force Policy (AF Community of Practice Wiki)

AFI 36-2501: The competitive categories in the Regular Air Force are as follows:

  • Line of the Air Force (LAF)
  • Judge Advocate General (JAG)
  • Medical Corps (MC)
  • Dental Corps (DC)
  • Chaplains (CHAP)
  • Medical Service Corps (MSC)
  • Biomedical Sciences Corps (BSC)
  • Nurse Corps (NC).

AFI 36-2504: The competitive categories for the Air Force Reserves are as follows:

  • Line of the Air Force (LAF)
  • Judge Advocate (JA)
  • Medical Corps (MC)
  • Dental Corps (DC)
  • Chaplain (HC)
  • Medical Service Corps (MSC)
  • Biomedical Sciences Corps (BSC)
  • Nurse Corps (NC).

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Army Policy (Army Community of Practice Wiki)

AR 600-3: The competitive categories for Regular Army officers are as follows:

  • Maneuver, Fires and Effects
  • Operations Support
  • Force Sustainment
  • Special Braches
    • Judge Advocate General’s Corps
    • Chaplain’s Corps
    • Army Nurse Corps
    • Army Dental Corps
    • Medical Corps
    • Medical Service Corps
    • Army Medical Specialist Corps
    • Veterinary Corps.

Army Medical Specialist Corps and Medical Corps combine into a single category for promotions above the grade of O6.

AR 135-155: The competitive categories for Reserve and Guard components of the Army are as follows:

  • Army Promotion List (Includes Judge Advocates)
  • Chaplains
  • Army Nurse Corps
  • Dental Corps
  • Medical Corps
  • Medical Service Corps
  • Army Medical Specialist Corps
  • Veterinary Corps.

Army Medical Specialist Corps and Medical Corps combine into a single category for promotions above the grade of O6.

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Navy Policy (Navy Community of Practice Wiki)

OPNAVINST 1400.1B: The competitive categories established by the Department of the Navy are as follows:

  • Unrestricted Line Officer
  • Special Duty Officer (Human Resources)
  • Special Duty Officer (Information Warfare)
  • Special Duty Officer (Information Professional)
  • Special Duty Officer (Intelligence)
  • Special Duty Officer (Public Affairs)
  • Special Duty Officer (Oceanography)
  • Limited Duty Officer (Line)
  • Limited Duty Officer (Staff)
  • Engineering Duty Officer
  • Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (Engineering)
  • Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (Information Professional)
  • Medical Corps Officer
  • Dental Corps Officer
  • Medical Service Corps Officer
  • JAG Corps Officer
  • Nurse Corps Officer
  • Supply Corps Officer
  • Chaplain Corps Officer
  • Civil Engineer Corps Officer.

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Marine Corps Policy (USMC Community of Practice Wiki)

MCO P1400.31C, MARCORSEPMAN, Vol 1, OFFPROM: The Commandant of the Marine Corps has divided the officers Corps into five major categories:

  • Unrestricted Line
  • Restricted Line (Limited Duty Officers (LDOs))
  • Warrant Officers/Chief Warrant Officers (WO/CWOs)
  • Active Reserve (AR)
  • Specialist Officers.

Officers are considered for promotion within their own competitive category on either the active-duty list (ADL) or the reserve active-status list (RASL) as applicable. For purposes of assigning a running mate, a Reserve officer is considered to be in the same competitive category as the corresponding officer on the ADL.

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