10 U.S.C. § 899 : ARMED FORCES — GENERAL MILITARY LAW — PERSONNEL — UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE — PUNITIVE ARTICLES — Art. 99. Misbehavior before the enemy TEXT PDF Any member of the armed forces who before or in the presence of the enemy- (1) runs away; (2) shamefully abandons, surrenders, or delivers up any command, unit, place, or military property which it is his duty to defend; (3) through disobedience, neglect, or intentional misconduct endangers the safety of any such command, unit, place, or military property; (4) casts away his arms or ammunition; (5) is guilty of cowardly conduct; (6) quits his place of duty to plunder or pillage; (7) causes false alarms in any command, unit, or place under control of the armed forces; (8) willfully fails to do his utmost to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy any enemy troops, combatants, vessels, aircraft, or any other thing, which it is his duty so to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy; or (9) does not afford all practicable relief and assistance to any troops, combatants, vessels, or aircraft of the armed forces belonging to the United States or their allies when engaged in battle; shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct. 10 U.S.C. § 899 Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 69. HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES Revised section Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large) 899 50:693. May 5, 1950, ch. 169, §1 (Art. 99), 64 Stat. 137. armed forces The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.