§ 5150. Staff corps of the Navy

(a) The staff corps of the Navy are—
(1) the Medical Corps;
(2) the Dental Corps;
(3) the Judge Advocate General’s Corps;
(4) the Chaplain Corps; and
(5) such other staff corps as may be established by the Secretary of the Navy under subsection (b).
(b)
(1) The Secretary of the Navy may establish staff corps of the Navy in addition to the Medical Corps, the Dental Corps, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and the Chaplain Corps. The Secretary may designate commissioned officers in, and may assign members to, any such staff corps.
(2) Subject to subsection (c), the Secretary of the Navy may provide for the appointment of the chief of any staff corps established under this subsection.
(c) The Secretary of the Navy, whenever the needs of the service require, may convene a selection board under section 611 (a) of this title to select an officer in the Nurse Corps or in the Medical Service Corps (if such corps has been established under subsection (a)) for promotion to the grade of rear admiral, in the case of an officer in the Nurse Corps, or rear admiral (lower half), in the case of an officer in the Medical Service Corps. An officer promoted pursuant to such a selection shall be appointed by the Secretary to the position of Director of the Nurse Corps or Director of the Medical Service Corps, respectively, for a term of four years, to serve at the pleasure of the Secretary. For the purpose of computing the total number of flag officers in the staff corps of the Navy under section 526 of this title, an officer so appointed shall be considered an additional number in grade.