The authorized strength of Air Force Cadets of the Academy (determined for any year as of the day before the last day of the academic year) is 4,400 or such lower number as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force under subsection (j). Subject to that limitation, Air Force Cadets are selected as follows:

(1) 65 cadets selected in order of merit as established by competitive examination from the children of members of the armed forces who were killed in action or died of, or have a service-connected disability rated at not less than 100 per centum resulting from wounds or injuries received or diseases contracted in, or preexisting injury or disease aggravated by, active service, children of members who are in a “missing status” as defined in section 551(2) of title 37, and children of civilian employees who are in “missing status” as defined in section 5561(5) of title 5. The determination of the Department of Veterans Affairs as to service connection of the cause of death or disability, and the percentage at which the disability is rated, is binding upon the Secretary of the Air Force.

(2) Five cadets nominated at large by the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, by the President pro tempore of the Senate.

(3) Ten cadets from each State, five of whom are nominated by each Senator from that State.

(4) Five cadets from each congressional district, nominated by the Representative from the district.

(5) Five cadets from the District of Columbia, nominated by the Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia.

(6) Four cadets from the Virgin Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the Virgin Islands.

(7) Six cadets from Puerto Rico, five of whom are nominated by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and one who is a native of Puerto Rico nominated by the Governor of Puerto Rico.

(8) Four cadets from Guam, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from Guam.

(9) Three cadets from American Samoa, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from American Samoa.

(10) Three cadets from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the commonwealth.

In addition, there may be appointed each year at the Academy cadets as follows:

one hundred selected by the President from the children of members of an armed force who—

(A) are on active duty (other than for training) and who have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years;

(B) are, or who died while they were, retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay;

(C) are serving as members of reserve components and are credited with at least eight years of service computed under section 12733 of this title; or

(D) would be, or who died while they would have been, entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title except for not having attained 60 years of age;

(2) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Air Force from enlisted members of the Regular Air Force.

(3) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Air Force from enlisted members of reserve components of the Air Force.

(4) 20 nominated by the Secretary of the Air Force, under regulations prescribed by him, from the honor graduates of schools designated as honor schools by the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of the Air Force, and from members of the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

(5) 150 selected by the Secretary of the Air Force in order of merit (prescribed pursuant to section 9443 of this title) from qualified alternates nominated by persons named in paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (a).

The President may also appoint as cadets at the Academy children of persons who have been awarded the Medal of Honor for acts performed while in the armed forces.

The Superintendent may nominate for appointment each year 50 persons from the country at large. Persons nominated under this paragraph may not displace any appointment authorized under paragraphs (2) through (9) of subsection (a) and may not cause the total strength of Air Force Cadets to exceed the authorized number.

If the annual quota of cadets under subsection (b)(1), (2), or (3) is not filled, the Secretary may fill the vacancies by nominating for appointment other candidates from any of these sources who were found best qualified on examination for admission and not otherwise nominated.

Each candidate for admission nominated under paragraphs (3) through (9) of subsection (a) must be domiciled in the State, or in the congressional district, from which he is nominated, or in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, if nominated from one of those places.

The Secretary of the Air Force may limit the number of cadets authorized to be appointed under this section to the number that can be adequately accommodated at the Academy as determined by the Secretary after consulting with the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, subject to the following:

(1) Cadets chargeable to each nominating authority named in subsection (a)(3) or (4) may not be limited to less than four.

If the Secretary limits the number of appointments under subsection (a)(3) or (4), appointments under subsection (b)(1)–(4) are limited as follows:

(A) 27 appointments under subsection (b)(1);

(B) 27 appointments under subsection (b)(2);

(C) 27 appointments under subsection (b)(3); and

(D) 13 appointments under subsection (b)(4).

If the Secretary limits the number of appointments under subsection (b)(5), appointments under subsection (b)(2)–(4) are limited as follows:

(A) 27 appointments under subsection (b)(2);

(B) 27 appointments under subsection (b)(3); and

(C) 13 appointments under subsection (b)(4).

(4) The limitations provided for in this subsection do not affect the operation of subsection (e).

The Superintendent shall furnish to any Member of Congress, upon the written request of such Member, the name of the Congressman or other nominating authority responsible for the nomination of any named or identified person for appointment to the Academy.

For purposes of the limitation in subsection (a) establishing the aggregate authorized strength of Air Force Cadets, the Secretary of the Air Force may for any year permit a variance in that limitation by not more than one percent. In applying that limitation, and any such variance, the last day of an academic year shall be considered to be graduation day.

Beginning with the 2003–2004 academic year, the Secretary of the Air Force may prescribe annual increases in the cadet strength limit in effect under subsection (a). For any academic year, any such increase shall be by no more than 100 cadets or such lesser number as applies under paragraph (3) for that year. Such annual increases may be prescribed until the cadet strength limit is 4,400.

(1) Beginning with the 2003–2004 academic year, the Secretary of the Air Force may prescribe annual increases in the cadet strength limit in effect under subsection (a). For any academic year, any such increase shall be by no more than 100 cadets or such lesser number as applies under paragraph (3) for that year. Such annual increases may be prescribed until the cadet strength limit is 4,400.

(2) Any increase in the cadet strength limit under paragraph (1) with respect to an academic year shall be prescribed not later than the date on which the budget of the President is submitted to Congress under sections 1105 of title 31 for the fiscal year beginning in the same year as the year in which that academic year begins. Whenever the Secretary prescribes such an increase, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a notice in writing of the increase. The notice shall state the amount of the increase in the cadet strength limit and the new cadet strength limit, as so increased, and the amount of the increase in Senior Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps enrollment under each of sections 2104 and 2107 of this title.

(3) The amount of an increase under paragraph (1) in the cadet strength limit for an academic year may not exceed the increase (if any) for the preceding academic year in the total number of cadets enrolled in the Air Force Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program under chapter 103 of this title who have entered into an agreement under section 2104 or 2107 of this title.

(4) In this subsection, the term “cadet strength limit” means the authorized maximum strength of Air Force Cadets of the Academy.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 563, § 9342; Pub. L. 87–663, § 1(5), (6), Sept. 14, 1962, 76 Stat. 547; Pub. L. 88–276, § 4(1), Mar. 3, 1964, 78 Stat. 151; Pub. L. 89–650, § 1(1)–(3), (5), Oct. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 896; Pub. L. 90–374, July 5, 1968, 82 Stat. 283; Pub. L. 90–623, § 2(8), Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1314; Pub. L. 91–405, title II, § 204(c), Sept. 22, 1970, 84 Stat. 852; Pub. L. 92–365, § 1(3), Aug. 7, 1972, 86 Stat. 505; Pub. L. 93–171, § 3(1)–(4), Nov. 29, 1973, 87 Stat. 690; Pub. L. 94–106, title VIII, § 803(b)(1), Oct. 7, 1975, 89 Stat. 538; Pub. L. 96–513, title V, § 514(11), Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 2935; Pub. L. 96–600, § 2(c), Dec. 24, 1980, 94 Stat. 3493; Pub. L. 97–60, title II, § 203(c)(1), Oct. 14, 1981, 95 Stat. 1006; Pub. L. 98–94, title X, § 1005(a)(3), (b)(3), Sept. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 660, 661; Pub. L. 101–189, div. A, title XVI, § 1621(a)(1), Nov. 29, 1989, 103 Stat. 1602; Pub. L. 101–510, div. A, title V, § 532(c)(1), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1563; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title V, § 531, Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1657; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, § 1674(c)(3), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 3017; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title V, § 532(c), title XV, § 1502(a)(1), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 315, 502; Pub. L. 105–85, div. A, title X, § 1073(a)(62), Nov. 18, 1997, 111 Stat. 1903; Pub. L. 106–65, div. A, title V, § 531(b)(3), title X, § 1067(1), Oct. 5, 1999, 113 Stat. 602, 774; Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title V, § 531(c)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–110; Pub. L. 107–314, div. A, title V, § 532(c), Dec. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 108–136, div. A, title V, § 524(c), title X, § 1031(a)(58), Nov. 24, 2003, 117 Stat. 1464, 1603; Pub. L. 109–364, div. A, title X, § 1071(a)(38), Oct. 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 2400; Pub. L. 110–229, title VII, § 718(c), May 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 869; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title V, § 540(c), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4454; Pub. L. 111–84, div. A, title V, § 527(c), Oct. 28, 2009, 123 Stat. 2288; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1076(f)(42), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1954; Pub. L. 114–92, div. A, title V, § 556(c), Nov. 25, 2015, 129 Stat. 825; Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title V, § 566(c), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2139; renumbered § 9442 and amended Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, §§ 806(a)(3), 809(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1832, 1840.)