18 USC § 2155 - Destruction of national-defense materials, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s2155"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "18 USC § 2155 - Destruction of national-defense materials, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
section_number: "2155"
section_name: "Destruction of national-defense materials, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities"
chapter_number: 105
chapter_name: "SABOTAGE"
part_number: "I"
part_name: "CRIMES"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 799; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1261, title I, § 104, 68 Stat. 1218; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(f)(12), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3500; Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, § 810(e), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 380.)"
---


# § 2155. Destruction of national-defense materials, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities

**(a)** Whoever, with intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the national defense of the United States, willfully injures, destroys, contaminates or infects, or attempts to so injure, destroy, contaminate or infect any national-defense material, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both, and, if death results to any person, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

**(b)** If two or more persons conspire to violate this section, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each of the parties to such conspiracy shall be punished as provided in subsection (a) of this section.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 799; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1261, title I, § 104, 68 Stat. 1218; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, § 601(f)(12), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3500; Pub. L. 107–56, title VIII, § 810(e), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 380.)

### Historical and Revision Notes

Based on , U.S.C., 1940 ed., War and National Defense (, as added , ).

Words “upon conviction thereof” were omitted as unnecessary, since punishment cannot be imposed until a conviction is secured.

Minor changes were made in phraseology.

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2001—Subsec. (a).  substituted “20 years” for “ten years” and inserted “, and, if death results to any person, shall be imprisoned for any term of years or for life” before period at end.

1996— substituted “, or” for “or” in section catchline.

1994—Subsec. (a).  substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”.

1954—Act , inserted conspiracy provisions.