Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-102
§275 Restriction on Direct Participation by Military Personnel
Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART I — ORGANIZATION AND GENERAL MILITARY POWERS › CHAPTER 15 — MILITARY SUPPORT FOR CIVILIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES › § 275
Summary
The Secretary of Defense must write rules to make sure activities under this chapter—like giving equipment or using facilities or assigning personnel—do not let members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps take part directly in searches, seizures, arrests, or similar actions. Members may only take part if another law specifically allows it.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §275
Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to ensure that any activity (including the provision of any equipment or facility or the assignment or detail of any personnel) under this chapter does not include or permit direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps in a search, seizure, arrest, or other similar activity unless participation in such activity by such member is otherwise authorized by law.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 275, acts Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 13; Sept. 2, 1958, Pub. L. 85–861, § 1(5)(B), 72 Stat. 1439, related to maintenance of personnel records of members of reserve components, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title XVI, §§ 1661(a)(2)(A), 1691, Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2979, 3026, effective Dec. 1, 1994. See section 10204 of this title.
Amendments
2016—Pub. L. 114–328 renumbered section 375 of this title as this section. 1989—Pub. L. 101–189 substituted “any activity” for “the provision of any support”, struck out “to any civilian law
Enforcement
official” after “any personnel)”, and substituted “a search, seizure, arrest,” for “a search and seizure, an arrest,”. 1988—Pub. L. 100–456 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows: “The Secretary of Defense shall issue such
Regulations
as may be necessary to insure that the provision of any assistance (including the provision of any equipment or facility or the assignment of any personnel) to any civilian law
Enforcement
official under this chapter does not include or permit direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps in an interdiction of a vessel or aircraft, a search and seizure, arrest, or other similar activity unless participation in such activity by such member is otherwise authorized by law.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 275
Title 10, Armed Forces
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102