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Executive Order 10651 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 10651—Providing for the Screening of the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces Established Under the Provisions of Part II of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as Amended

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower
•
Friday, January 6, 1956
•
4 min read (803 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

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 1956-01-06, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Providing for the Screening of the Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces Established Under the Provisions of Part II of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as Amended." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

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

▪ By virtue of authority vested in me by section 208 of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as amended by the Reserve Forces Act of 1955 (66 Stat.
▪ Code, I hereby prescribe the following regulations for continuously screening units and members of the Ready Reserve: 1.
▪ Members of the Ready Reserve who do not meet age requirements or standards of fitness prescribed for active duty assignments by the Service concerned shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve, upon application placed in the Retired Reserve if qualified, or discharged, as appropriate.
▪ The following members of the Ready Reserve shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve unless they execute a written agreement to remain in the Ready Reserve for a minimum period of one year: (a) Those who have fulfilled their Ready Reserve obligations.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Financial Institutions & Monetary Authorities
Total Words
803
4,926 characters
Estimated Read Time
4 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
18
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 10651, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Jan 6, 1956). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-10651-providing-for-the-screening-the-ready-reserve-the-armed-forces.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By virtue of authority vested in me by section 208 of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as amended by the Reserve Forces Act of 1955 (66 Stat. 481; 69 Stat. 598) and section 301 of Title 3, U.S. Code, I hereby prescribe the following regulations for continuously screening units and members of the Ready Reserve: 1. Members of the Ready Reserve who do not meet age requirements or standards of fitness prescribed for active duty assignments by the Service concerned shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve, upon application placed in the Retired Reserve if qualified, or discharged, as appropriate. 2. The following members of the Ready Reserve shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve unless they execute a written agreement to remain in the Ready Reserve for a minimum period of one year: (a) Those who have fulfilled their Ready Reserve obligations. (b) The following elective and appointive officials: (1) The Vice President of the United States; members of the Cabinet and other Presidential appointees requiring Senate confirmation. (2) The Governors of the several states, Territories and possessions. (3) Members of the legislative bodies of the United States, and of the several states, Territories or possessions. (4) Judges of the courts of record of the United States and of the several states, Territories and possessions, and the District of Columbia. (5) All other officials chosen by the voters of an entire state, Territory or possession. 3. Members of the Ready Reserve whose call to active duty in an emergency would result in extreme personal or community hardship as defined by the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the United States Coast Guard) shall, upon request, be transferred to the Standby Reserve. 4. Except as hereinafter provided by this paragraph, there shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve, in such numbers as are in excess of the requirements of the Ready Reserve, those members of the Ready Reserve who are principally engaged or employed in critical civilian occupations which are on the List of Critical Occupations for Screening the Ready Reserve issued by the Secretary of Labor. No person shall be transferred hereunder (a) who possesses a critical military skill as determined by the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the United States Coast Guard), or (b) who volunteers to remain in the Ready Reserve and executes a written agreement to remain in such reserve for a minimum period of one year. 5. The Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the United States Coast Guard) may provide for the transfer from the Ready to the Standby Reserve of individuals undergoing apprenticeship training or pursuing academic studies that will qualify them for critical civilian skills. 6. The following members of the Ready Reserve not otherwise provided for herein shall be transferred to the Standby Reserve: (a) Individuals who possess military skills in excess of requirements to maintain a proper balance of such skills in the Ready Reserve. Due consideration shall be given to maintaining a proper distribution within the grade, rank, and rate structure of the Ready Reserve. (b) Individuals who are not immediately available for active duty, as determined by the Service concerned, for reasons not otherwise specified herein. 7. In selecting members of the Ready Reserve to be transferred to the Standby Reserve who are otherwise equally eligible for transfer under the criteria established herein, the Service concerned shall accord preference for transfer in the following order: (a) those who have participated in combat; and (b) those with the least remaining obligated service in the Ready Reserve. 8. Pursuant to section 208 (1) of the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as amended by the Reserve Forces Act of 1955, any member of the Standby Reserve who has not completed his obligated period of military service in the Ready Reserve may be transferred to the Ready Reserve, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense (or the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the United States Coast Guard), whenever the reason for his transfer to the Standby Reserve no longer exists. 9. Transfers to the Standby Reserve, discharges and transfers to a retired status of members of the National Guard of the United States and the Air National Guard of the United States, as a result of screening procedures, shall be made in consonance with the Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952, as amended. 10. The Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of the Treasury with respect to the United States Coast Guard) shall make periodic reports to the President concerning the screening of the Ready Reserve in order that such screening may be evaluated in relation to overall manpower mobilization requirements. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER THE WHITE HOUSE, January 6, 1956.