---
type: "LegalText"
title: "48 U.S.C. § 1418"
description: "Employment of land and naval forces in protection of rights"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 48
title_name: "TERRITORIES AND INSULAR POSSESSIONS"
chapter_number: "8"
chapter_name: "GUANO ISLANDS"
section: "1418"
citation: "48 U.S.C. § 1418"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc48@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t48/s1418"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-48/usc48.xml"
source_hash: "3221df79a578933d4d2970922b324c81fc7af182898622353f41db58c4bd7142"
raw_snapshot_hash: "2f9a72ec272e6666d7f55f52cc3186aefc6368ca4cc2b9053a531de2fb9288c2"
text_hash: "8ee781cbd5d3fbed40d423b9f40d2d4198babda14028af3b855d56e5c5291e5c"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 48 U.S.C. § 1418 - Employment of land and naval forces in protection of rights

## Text

The President is authorized, at his discretion, to employ the land and naval forces of the United States to protect the rights of the discoverer or of his widow, heir, executor, administrator, or assigns.

(R.S. § 5577.)

## Notes

Editorial Notes

Codification R.S. § 5577 derived from act Aug. 18, 1856, ch. 164, § 5, 11 Stat. 120.