Title 10, Armed ForcesRelease 119-110
§886 Art. 86. Absence Without Leave
Title 10 › Subtitle A — General Military Law › PART II — PERSONNEL › CHAPTER 47 — UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE › SUBCHAPTER X — PUNITIVE ARTICLES › § 886
Summary
Punishes service members who, without permission, do not go to their duty, leave their duty post, or stay away from their unit when they must be there. A military court decides the punishment.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §886
Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Any member of the armed forces who, without authority—
(1)fails to go to his appointed place of duty at the time prescribed;
(2)goes from that place; or
(3)absents himself or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty at which he is required to be at the time prescribed;
shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 88650:680.May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 1 (Art. 86), 64 Stat. 135. The words “proper” and “other” are omitted as surplusage.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 886
Title 10, Armed Forces
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110