(a) Any member of the armed forces who—(1) without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to remain away therefrom permanently;
(2) quits his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to avoid hazardous duty or to shirk important service; or
(3) without being regularly separated from one of the armed forces enlists or accepts an appointment in the same or another one of the armed forces without fully disclosing the fact that he has not been regularly separated, or enters any foreign armed service except when authorized by the United States;
is guilty of desertion.
(b) Any commissioned officer of the armed forces who, after tender of his resignation and before notice of its acceptance, quits his post or proper duties without leave and with intent to remain away therefrom permanently is guilty of desertion.
(c) Any person found guilty of desertion or attempt to desert shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, but if the desertion or attempt to desert occurs at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct.
Structure US Code
Subtitle A— General Military Law
CHAPTER 47— UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE
SUBCHAPTER X— PUNITIVE ARTICLES
§ 878. Art. 78. Accessory after the fact
§ 879. Art. 79. Conviction of offense charged, lesser included offenses, and attempts
§ 882. Art. 82. Soliciting commission of offenses
§ 884. Art. 84. Breach of medical quarantine
§ 886. Art. 86. Absence without leave
§ 887. Art. 87. Missing movement; jumping from vessel
§ 887a. Art. 87a. Resistance, flight, breach of arrest, and escape
§ 887b. Art. 87b. Offenses against correctional custody and restriction
§ 888. Art. 88. Contempt toward officials
§ 890. Art. 90. Willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer
§ 892. Art. 92. Failure to obey order or regulation
§ 893. Art. 93. Cruelty and maltreatment
§ 894. Art. 94. Mutiny or sedition
§ 895. Art. 95. Offenses by sentinel or lookout
§ 895a. Art. 95a. Disrespect toward sentinel or lookout
§ 896. Art. 96. Release of prisoner without authority; drinking with prisoner
§ 897. Art. 97. Unlawful detention
§ 898. Art. 98. Misconduct as prisoner
§ 899. Art. 99. Misbehavior before the enemy
§ 900. Art. 100. Subordinate compelling surrender
§ 901. Art. 101. Improper use of countersign
§ 902. Art. 102. Forcing a safeguard
§ 903b. Art. 103b. Aiding the enemy
§ 904. Art. 104. Public records offenses
§ 904a. Art. 104a. Fraudulent enlistment, appointment, or separation
§ 904b. Art. 104b. Unlawful enlistment, appointment, or separation
§ 905a. Art. 105a. False or unauthorized pass offenses
§ 906. Art. 106. Impersonation of officer, noncommissioned or petty officer, or agent or official
§ 906a. Art. 106a. Wearing unauthorized insignia, decoration, badge, ribbon, device, or lapel button
§ 907. Art. 107. False official statements; false swearing
§ 907a. Art. 107a. Parole violation
§ 908a. Art. 108a. Captured or abandoned property
§ 909a. Art. 109a. Mail matter: wrongful taking, opening, etc.
§ 910. Art. 110. Improper hazarding of vessel or aircraft
§ 911. Art. 111. Leaving scene of vehicle accident
§ 912. Art. 112. Drunkenness and other incapacitation offenses
§ 912a. Art. 112a. Wrongful use, possession, etc., of controlled substances
§ 913. Art. 113. Drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel
§ 914. Art. 114. Endangerment offenses
§ 915. Art. 115. Communicating threats
§ 916. Art. 116. Riot or breach of peace
§ 917. Art. 117. Provoking speeches or gestures
§ 917a. Art. 117a. Wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images
§ 919a. Art. 119a. Death or injury of an unborn child
§ 919b. Art. 119b. Child endangerment
§ 920. Art. 120. Rape and sexual assault generally
§ 920a. Art. 120a. Mails: deposit of obscene matter
§ 920b. Art. 120b. Rape and sexual assault of a child
§ 920c. Art. 120c. Other sexual misconduct
§ 921. Art. 121. Larceny and wrongful appropriation
§ 921a. Art. 121a. Fraudulent use of credit cards, debit cards, and other access devices
§ 921b. Art. 121b. False pretenses to obtain services
§ 922a. Art. 122a. Receiving stolen property
§ 923. Art. 123. Offenses concerning Government computers
§ 923a. Art. 123a. Making, drawing, or uttering check, draft, or order without sufficient funds
§ 924. Art. 124. Frauds against the United States
§ 926. Art. 126. Arson; burning property with intent to defraud
§ 928b. Art. 128b. Domestic violence
§ 929. Art. 129. Burglary; unlawful entry
§ 931a. Art. 131a. Subornation of perjury
§ 931b. Art. 131b. Obstructing justice
§ 931c. Art. 131c. Misprision of serious offense
§ 931d. Art. 131d. Wrongful refusal to testify
§ 931e. Art. 131e. Prevention of authorized seizure of property
§ 931f. Art. 131f. Noncompliance with procedural rules
§ 931g. Art. 131g. Wrongful interference with adverse administrative proceeding