Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 96–513) is a United States federal law passed in 1980 that for the first-time standardized officer personnel management across the United States Armed Forces. It established ceilings on the number of field grade officers authorized to each service, created uniform regulations governing promotions, and codified rules regarding separation and retirement of officers.[1]
Acronyms (colloquial) | DOPMA |
---|---|
Enacted by | the 96th United States Congress |
Effective | December 12, 1980 (1980-12-12) |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 96–513 |
Legislative history | |
|
The DOPMA created stable and predictable career paths, institutionalized relatively short careers compared to private industry, and mandated the military adopt an "up or out" personnel management strategy (requiring officers who failed selection for promotion to be removed from the service).[2] Although it accomplished many of its intended goals, many provisions and consequences of the legislation remain controversial.[3]: 16–23