(a) A selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title shall recommend for promotion to the next higher grade those officers considered by the board whom the board, giving due consideration to the needs of the armed force concerned for officers with particular skills (as noted in the guidelines or information furnished the board under section 615(b) of this title), considers best qualified for promotion within each competitive category considered by the board. (b) The Secretary of the military department concerned shall establish the number of officers such a selection board may recommend for promotion from among officers being considered from below the promotion zone in any competitive category.

Such number may not exceed the number equal to 10 percent of the maximum number of officers that the board is authorized to recommend for promotion in such competitive category, except that the Secretary of Defense may authorize a greater number, not to exceed 15 percent of the total number of officers that the board is authorized to recommend for promotion, if the Secretary of Defense determines that the needs of the service so require.

If the number determined under this subsection is less than one, the board may recommend one such officer.

The number of officers recommended for promotion from below the promotion zone does not increase the maximum number of officers which the board is authorized under section 615 of this title to recommend for promotion. (c) A selection board convened under section 611(a) of this title may not recommend an officer for promotion unless - (1) the officer receives the recommendation of a majority of the members of the board; and (2) a majority of the members of the board finds that the officer is fully qualified for promotion. (d) Except as otherwise provided by law, an officer on the active-duty list may not be promoted to a higher grade under this chapter unless he is considered and recommended for promotion to that grade by a selection board convened under this chapter. (e) The recommendations of a selection board may be disclosed only in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense.

Those recommendations may not be disclosed to a person not a member of the board (or a member of the administrative staff designated by the Secretary concerned to assist the board) until the written report of the recommendations of the board, required by section 617 of this title, is signed by each member of the board. (f) The Secretary convening a selection board under section 611(a) of this title, and an officer or other official exercising authority over any member of a selection board, may not - (1) censure, reprimand, or admonish the selection board or any member of the board with respect to the recommendations of the board or the exercise of any lawful function within the authorized discretion of the board; or (2) attempt to coerce or, by any unauthorized means, influence any action of a selection board or any member of a selection board in the formulation of the board's recommendations.