10 U.S.C. § 129c — Medical personnel: limitations on reductions

(a) Limitation on Reduction. For any fiscal year, the Secretary of Defense can't reduce the number of Defense Department medical personnel described in subsection (b) unless the Secretary makes the certification described in subsection (c) for that year. (b) Covered Reductions. Subsection (a) applies to any cut that would bring medical personnel, by the end of a fiscal year, below (1) 95 percent of the number there was at the end of the previous fiscal year, or (2) 90 percent of the number there was at the end of the fiscal year three years earlier. (c) Certification. To make the certification, the Secretary must tell Congress that (1) the medical personnel being cut are more than the Department currently and will likely need, and (2) the cut won't raise the cost of health care under the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (chapter 55 of this title). (d) Policy for Implementing Reductions. Whenever the Secretary orders a cut in total military medical personnel, the Secretary must make sure the cut isn't unfairly loaded onto any one armed service, and isn't unfairly loaded onto either the active or the reserve component. (e) Definition. In this section, "medical personnel" means (1) the armed forces members covered by that term as defined in section 115a(e)(2) of this title, and (2) the Department's civilian personnel assigned to military medical facilities.