grade structure vacancy—promotion to colonel and female field grades

grade structure vacancy—promotion to colonel and female field grades Sec. 312. When the Secretary determines that there are existing or anticipated vacancies within the numbers authorized pursuant to section 307 (b) (2) (i) or (ii) for the grades of major in the Army Nurse Corps or Women’s Medical Specialist Corps, lieutenant colonel in the Army Nurse Corps or Women’s Army Corps, or colonel in any other branch, he may appoint and convene one or more selection boards to consider and recommend nonunit officers to fill the vacancies. The Secretary shall prescribe for each zone of consideration list established pursuant to section 314 (a) the minimum promotion service an officer of the appropriate branch shall have to be placed thereon, and shall require that each nonunit officer with the prescribed promotion service and the total years of service required by section 315 (b) be placed thereon. The Secretary shall also prescribe the number of officers to be recommended for promotion from each list. The selection board shall recommend the prescribed number of officers deemed best qualified among those on the zone of consideration list. Upon attaining the total years of service required by section 315 (a), an officer recommended for promotion under this section may be promoted at any time to fill a vacancy, but it is not mandatory that the authorized number in these grades be maintained.