36 U.S.C. § 300102: Purposes

the conference of Geneva of October 1863; the treaties of the Red Cross, or the treaties of Geneva, August 22, 1864 , July 27, 1929 , and August 12, 1949 , to which the United States of America has given its adhesion; and any other treaty, convention, or protocol similar in purpose to which the United States of America has given or may give its adhesion; in carrying out the purposes described in paragraph (1) of this section, to perform all the duties devolved on a national society by each nation that has acceded to any of those treaties, conventions, or protocols; to act in matters of voluntary relief and in accordance with the military authorities as a medium of communication between the people of the United States and the Armed Forces of the United States and to act in those matters between similar national societies of governments of other countries through the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Government, the people, and the Armed Forces of the United States; to carry out a system of national and international relief in time of peace, and to apply that system in mitigating the suffering caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry out measures for preventing those calamities; and to conduct other activities consistent with the foregoing purposes.