In the US military, it would depend on the situation. The guiding rule is generally "so long as they have the means to resist."

If you had no way to defend yourself effectively, the US military does not expect you to fight to the last man. In fact, it makes a pretty big deal about "return with honor" and the notion that as a POW, resistance is still a means of service and contribution to the war effort.

Of course, there may be disagreements about whether you still had the means to resist or not. Bataan would be a good history lesson in that regards.

Two other points:

1. The status of the conflict matters as well. If you are a surveillance crew that gets captured, you probably don't have the authority to resist. You are not a combatant at that point. So any violence you committed would either be s crime or an act of war. Gary Powers and the crews of the USS Pueblo and the EP-3 that landed on Hainan Island would have had that problem to contend with.

2. Who you are surrendering to would also be a concern. Few military members today would surrender to a jihafist knowing their likely fate as a prisoner.

If it is determined that you surrendered when you could have resisted, at the very least you will be charged with conduct unbecoming but there are likely other charges as well.

Source: https://www.quora.com/Do-countries-p...r-surrendering


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