10 U.S.C. § 604 — Senior joint officer positions: recommendations to the Secretary of Defense

(a) Joint 4-Star Officer^* Positions.—(1) When a position listed in subsection (b) is vacant or is expected to become vacant: (A) The Secretary of Defense must require the Secretary of the Army^* to submit at least one Army officer; the Secretary of the Navy to submit at least one Navy officer and at least one Marine Corps officer; and the Secretary of the Air Force to submit at least one Air Force officer and at least one Space Force officer. The Secretary of Defense considers these names when recommending someone to the President for appointment to the position. (B) The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff may submit one or more additional officers' names to the Secretary of Defense for consideration in making a recommendation to the President. (2) Whenever the military department Secretaries must submit names under paragraph (1)(A), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must submit to the Secretary of Defense the Chairman's evaluation of the performance of every officer submitted under that paragraph. The Chairman must also evaluate any officer whose name the Chairman submits under paragraph (1)(B) for the same vacancy. The evaluation must mainly consider the officer's performance as a member of the Joint Staff and in other joint-duty assignments, but may also consider other parts of the officer's performance that the Chairman considers appropriate. (b) Covered Positions.—Subsection (a) applies to: (1) a commander of a combatant command; and (2) the Commander, United States Forces, Korea.