Officer Appointments (Scrolling)
When officers are originally commissioned or promoted, Title 10 requires appointment by either the President, sometimes with advice and consent of the Senate, or by the Secretary of Defense. A list of individuals to be appointed, prepared for signature by the President or the Secretary, is referred to as a scroll, and hence the process of preparing and processing a list is informally called scrolling.
Federal Law
10 U.S. Code § 531: Original appointments of regular commissioned officers in the grade of O-3 and below are made by the President alone. Original appointments of regular officers in the grades of O-4 to O-6 are made by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Service credits may be used in determining the grade in which appointed. Appointment of reservists as regular officers may be made by the Secretary of Defense.
10 U.S. Code § 624: Appointment of regular officers promoted to the grades of O-3 and below are made by the President alone. Other promotions are made by the President with advice and consent of the Senate.
10 U.S. Code § 12203: Appointments of reserve commissioned officers in the grade of O-5 and below are made by the President alone. Appointment of reserve officers above the grade of O-5 are made by the President with advice and consent of the Senate. Reserve appointments of officers transferring from active may be made by the Secretary of Defense.
10 U.S. Code § 14308: Appointments of reserve commissioned officers in the grade of O-5 and below are made by the President alone. Appointment of reserve officers above the grade of O-5 are made by the President with advice and consent of the Senate. Reserve appointments of officers transferring from active may be made by the Secretary of Defense. These provisions apply to both original appointments and promotion appointments.
10 U.S. Code § 7064 and § 7153: Regular officers serving in special branches of the Army (Medical Department, Judge Advocate General's Corps, Chaplains, and other branches established by the Secretary of the Army) must be appointed specifically for service in those branches.
10 U.S. Code § 8132: Regular officer appointments are made specifically in the line of the Navy or in a staff corps.
DoD Policy
DODI 1310.02: Provides preparation and processing instructions for original appointment scrolls and accompanying administrative packages.
DODI 1320.04: Provides preparation and processing instructions for promotion-related appointment scrolls and accompanying administrative packages.
Military Service Policies
Military policies generally implement and amplify DoD policy.