Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§2205 Construction

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 39— - SPOILS OF WAR › § 2205

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The chapter does not apply in five situations. It does not cover when soldiers on the battlefield abandon or fail to take property taken in war for valid military reasons, like heavy transport needs or letting allies use it during fighting; when property taken, borrowed, or officially taken for temporary military use is returned or abandoned with no intent to keep it; when captured property is destroyed; when property seized by the enemy is returned to its former owners; and small personal items that service members legally keep as war trophies with public written permission from the Department of Defense.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §2205

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Nothing in this chapter shall apply to—

(1)the abandonment or failure to take possession of spoils of war by troops in the field for valid military reasons related to the conduct of the immediate conflict, including the burden of transporting such property or a decision to allow allied forces to take immediate possession of certain property solely for use during an ongoing conflict;

(2)the abandonment or return of any property obtained, borrowed, or requisitioned for temporary use during military operations without intent to retain possession of such property;

(3)the destruction of spoils of war by troops in the field;

(4)the return of spoils of war to previous owners from whom such property had been seized by enemy forces; or

(5)minor articles of personal property which have lawfully become the property of individual members of the armed forces as war trophies pursuant to public written authorization from the Department of Defense.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 2205

Title 50 — War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73