Title 14Coast GuardRelease 119-73

§2711 Deserters; payment of expenses incident to apprehension and delivery; penalties

Title 14 › Subtitle SUBTITLE II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 27— - PAY, ALLOWANCES, AWARDS, AND OTHER RIGHTS AND BENEFITS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - PERSONNEL RIGHTS AND BENEFITS › § 2711

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Coast Guard may spend money, under rules set by the Secretary, to find and bring in deserters, stragglers, and prisoners. If someone is found guilty of desertion by a court-martial during a war and is dismissed or dishonorably discharged because of it, they cannot later join or be appointed in any U.S. military or naval service unless a Coast Guard board of officers removes that disqualification and the Secretary approves, or unless they were returned to duty during the war.

Full Legal Text

Title 14, §2711

Coast Guard — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Coast Guard may, pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary, make such expenditures as are deemed necessary for the apprehension and delivery of deserters, stragglers, and prisoners.
(b)No individual who is convicted by court martial for desertion from the Coast Guard in time of war, and as the result of such conviction is dismissed or dishonorably discharged from the Coast Guard shall afterwards be enlisted, appointed, or commissioned in any military or naval service under the United States, unless the disability resulting from desertion, as established by this section is removed by a board of commissioned officers of the Coast Guard convened for consideration of the case, and the action of the Board is approved by the Secretary; or unless he is restored to duty in time of war.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “individual” for “person”. 2018—Pub. L. 115–282 renumbered section 508 of this title as this section. 1952—Subsec. (a). Act July 10, 1952, authorized reimbursement of necessary expenses to persons other than civil officers, and added stragglers and prisoners to class of offenders.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective
May 31, 1951, see act
May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 5, 64 Stat. 145.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

14 U.S.C. § 2711

Title 14Coast Guard

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73