Executive Order 10617 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 10617—Suspension of the Operation of Certain Provisions of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 Applicable to the Retirement of Colonels of the Regular Army
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 1955-06-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Suspension of the Operation of Certain Provisions of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 Applicable to the Retirement of Colonels of the Regular Army." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪906), it is ordered as follows: The operation of those provisions of paragraph 3, subsection (d), section 514 of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 which are applicable to the mandatory retirement of colonels of the Regular Army is hereby suspended until termination of the emergency proclaimed by Proclamation No.
Exec. Order No. 10617, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Jun 28, 1955). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-10617-suspension-the-operation-certain-provisions-the-officer-personnel.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of the authority vested in me by subsection (f) of section 514 of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 906), it is ordered as follows: The operation of those provisions of paragraph 3, subsection (d), section 514 of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947 which are applicable to the mandatory retirement of colonels of the Regular Army is hereby suspended until termination of the emergency proclaimed by Proclamation No. 2914 of December 16, 1950, or until June 30, 1957, or until a date specified by the Secretary of the Army, whichever is earliest, with respect to any colonel of the Regular Army who holds a temporary grade higher than that of colonel and whom the Secretary of the Army, in his discretion, selects for retention on the active list in the public interest. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER THE WHITE HOUSE, June 28, 1955.
