Title 10Armed ForcesRelease 119-73

§4659 Prohibition on contracting with entities that comply with the secondary Arab boycott of Israel

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART V— - ACQUISITION › Subpart Subpart H— - Contract Management › Chapter CHAPTER 363— - PROHIBITION AND PENALTIES › § 4659

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The United States opposes trade boycotts that foreign countries promote against U.S. friends or against any U.S. person. The Defense Department may not award a contract worth more than the simplified acquisition threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41) to a foreign entity unless that entity certifies to the Secretary of Defense that it does not comply with the secondary Arab boycott of Israel. A foreign entity means a foreign person, company, or other foreign organization. The Secretary can waive this for national security. The rule does not apply to consumable supplies or services for U.S. or allied forces abroad, or to equipment, technology, data, or services used or acquired for intelligence or other classified national security purposes.

Full Legal Text

Title 10, §4659

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Under section 3(5)(A) 11 See References in Text note below. of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4602(5)(A)), it is the policy of the United States to oppose restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by foreign countries against other countries friendly to the United States or against any other United States person.
(b)(1)Consistent with the policy referred to in subsection (a), the Department of Defense may not award a contract for an amount in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41) to a foreign entity unless that entity certifies to the Secretary of Defense that it does not comply with the secondary Arab boycott of Israel.
(2)In paragraph (1), the term “foreign entity” means a foreign person, a foreign company, or any other foreign entity.
(c)The Secretary of Defense may waive the prohibition in subsection (b) in specific instances when the Secretary determines that the waiver is necessary in the national security interests of the United States.
(d)Subsection (b) does not apply—
(1)to contracts for consumable supplies, provisions, or services that are intended to be used for the support of United States forces or of allied forces in a foreign country; or
(2)to contracts pertaining to the use of any equipment, technology, data, or services for intelligence or classified purposes by the United States Government in the interests of national security or to the acquisition or lease of any such equipment, technology, data, or services by the United States Government in the interests of national security.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 3(5)(A) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4602(5)(A)), referred to in subsec. (a), was repealed by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title XVII, § 1766(a), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2232.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–283 renumbered section 2410i of this title as this section. 2017—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–91 struck out at end “Within 15 days after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report identifying each contract for which a waiver was granted under this subsection during that fiscal year.” 2016—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–328 substituted “(50 U.S.C. 4602(5)(A))” for “(50 U.S.C. App. 2402(5)(A))”. 2011—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 111–350 substituted “simplified acquisition threshold (as defined in section 134 of title 41)” for “small purchase threshold (as defined in section 4(11) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 403(11)))”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2021 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 116–283 effective Jan. 1, 2022, with additional provisions for delayed implementation and applicability of existing law, see section 1801(d) of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

10 U.S.C. § 4659

Title 10Armed Forces

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73