Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§2465 Prohibition on contracts for performance of firefighting or security-guard functions

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART IV— - SERVICE, SUPPLY, AND PROPERTY › Chapter CHAPTER 146— - CONTRACTING FOR PERFORMANCE OF CIVILIAN COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL TYPE FUNCTIONS › § 2465

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Department of Defense may not use its appropriated funds to hire contractors to do firefighting or security-guard work at any military installation or facility. There are four exceptions: work done outside the United States (including its commonwealths, territories, and possessions) when using troops would harm unit readiness; work on government-owned but privately operated sites; contracts that were already in place on September 24, 1983; and contracts for one year or less that cover tasks service members who are not readily available would otherwise have to do.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §2465

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as provided in subsection (b), funds appropriated to the Department of Defense may not be obligated or expended for the purpose of entering into a contract for the performance of firefighting or security-guard functions at any military installation or facility.
(b)The prohibition in subsection (a) does not apply to the following contracts:
(1)A contract to be carried out at a location outside the United States (including its commonwealths, territories, and possessions) at which members of the armed forces would have to be used for the performance of a function described in subsection (a) at the expense of unit readiness.
(2)A contract to be carried out on a Government-owned but privately operated installation.
(3)A contract (or the renewal of a contract) for the performance of a function under contract on September 24, 1983.
(4)A contract that is—
(A)for a period of one year or less; and
(B)covers the performance of functions that, in the absence of the contract, would have to be performed by members of the armed forces who are not readily available to perform such functions.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 119–60, § 335(1), substituted “that” for “for the performance of firefighting functions if the contract” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 119–60, § 335(2), struck out “only” before “the performance”, “firefighting” before “functions that,”, and “by reason of a deployment” before period at end. 2003—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–136 substituted “apply to the following contracts:” for “apply—” in introductory provisions, “A” for “to a” at beginning of pars. (1) to (3), period for semicolon at end of par. (1), and period for “; or” at end of par. (2), and added par. (4). 1996—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 104–106 substituted “under contract on
September 24, 1983” for “under contract or
September 24, 1983”. 1988—Pub. L. 100–370 renumbered section 2693 of this title as this section. 1987—Pub. L. 100–180 inserted “or security-guard” before “functions” in section catchline and subsec. (a), and substituted “a function” for “the function” in subsec. (b)(1).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Temporary Authority To Contract With Local and State Governments for Performance of Security Functions at United States Military Installations Pub. L. 107–56, title X, § 1010, Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 395, which provided authority, during Operation Enduring Freedom and the subsequent 180 days, to use defense funds to contract with local and state governments to perform security functions at military installations, was repealed by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 812(b)(53), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1850. Performance of Emergency Response Functions at Chemical Weapons Storage Installations Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title III, § 355], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–75, provided that: “(a) Restriction on Conversion.—The Secretary of the Army may not convert to contractor performance the emergency response functions of any chemical weapons storage installation that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 30, 2000], are performed for that installation by employees of the United States until the certification required by subsection (c) has been submitted in accordance with that subsection. “(b) Covered Installations.—For the purposes of this section, a chemical weapons storage installation is any installation of the Department of Defense on which lethal chemical agents or munitions are stored. “(c) Certification Requirement.—The Secretary of the Army shall certify in writing to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives that, to ensure that there will be no lapse of capability to perform the chemical weapon emergency response mission at a chemical weapons storage installation during any transition to contractor performance of those functions at the installation, the plan for conversion of the performance of those functions—“(1) is consistent with the recommendation contained in General Accounting Office [now Government Accountability Office] Report NSIAD–00–88, entitled ‘DoD Competitive Sourcing’, dated March 2000; “(2) provides for a transition to contractor performance of emergency response functions which ensures an adequate transfer of the relevant knowledge and expertise regarding chemical weapon emergency response to the contractor personnel; and “(3) complies with section 2465 of title 10, United States Code.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 2465

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73