Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle C— - Navy and Marine Corps › Part PART IV— - GENERAL ADMINISTRATION › Chapter CHAPTER 863— - NAVAL VESSELS › § 8677
A naval ship over 3,000 tons or under 20 years old cannot be given to another country in any way (sale, lease, loan, grant, barter, transfer, etc.) unless a law passed after August 5, 1974, specifically allows it. Any lease or loan under such a law must follow the rules in the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2796 et seq., chapter 6) or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2311 et seq., part II, chapter 2). If a law names one ship, the Secretary of Defense may swap in another ship of the same class with almost the same capabilities. If a law allows a certain number of ships of a class, only that number may be sent. A ship not covered by the rule above can be transferred under other laws only after the Secretary of the Navy gives written notice to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and 30 continuous session days of Congress pass after the notice. The 30-day count is only broken by a final adjournment of Congress; days when either House is out of session because of an adjournment longer than 3 days to a set date are not counted.
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Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Reference
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 8677
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73