Regular Navy: lieutenants and above

§ 5653. Regular Navy: lieutenants and above The Secretary of the Navy shall assign a running mate to each officer whose original appointment to the active list of the Navy in a staff corps is in the grade of lieutenant or above. Except as provided in section 5654 of this title, the officer to be assigned as the running mate may be any eligible line officer on active duty having the same date of rank as the staff corps officer concerned in the highest grade, permanent or temporary, to which the staff corps officer is appointed. If no eligible line officer serving on active duty in that grade has the same date of rank as the staff corps officer, the officer to be assigned as his running mate is the junior eligible line officer on active duty having the next earlier date of rank in that grade.