§ 981 — Limitation On Number Of Enlisted Aides

(a) Subject to subsection (b), the total number of enlisted members that may be assigned or otherwise detailed to duty as enlisted aides on the personal staffs of officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard (when operating as a service of the Navy) during a fiscal year is the number equal to the sum of (1) four times the number of officers serving on active duty at the end of the preceding fiscal year in the grade of general or admiral, and (2) two times the number of officers serving on active duty at the end of the preceding fiscal year in the grade of lieutenant general or vice admiral. (b) Not more than 300 enlisted members may be assigned to duty at any time as enlisted aides for officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. (c) Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report— (1) specifying the number of enlisted aides authorized and allocated for general officers and flag officers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and joint pool as of September 30 of the previous year; and (2) justifying, on a billet-by-billet basis, the authorization and assignment of each enlisted aide to each general officer and flag officer position.