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More Than 20 Years Of Active Duty Military Service
Because they are obliged to follow the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and standard laws that apply to everyone in the country, our service members face a more complicated criminal law system than the average U.S. resident. Thus, it is no surprise that the...
The military separates courts martial into three categories depending on the severity of the crime: Summary, special and general. Each type has procedural differences and vary in length. Here’s a breakdown of all three. Summary court martial A summary court martial is...
After several high-profile stories of the U.S. military’s poor handling of sexual assault and harassment cases, the Army has revealed that it is implementing nearly all of the recommendations from the Fort Hood report and an Independent Review Commission. Here are the...
Officer Evaluation Reports (OER) are crucial for deciding career development, including promotions and coveted assignments. They are also vital tools for officers to improve their performance. A negative OER can stall or derail an officer’s military career by blocking...
Consequences for court-martial while you’re still in the military are well defined, but how will a court-martial affect your life after the military? Unfortunately, a court-martial can follow you into civilian life in a number of ways. Here are a few examples:...
Military personnel can face dire consequences if they refuse to or cannot report for duty. Depending upon the circumstances, service members can face three related charges if they fail to show up. Absence without official leave (AWOL), desertion and missing movement...
If you receive an Article 15 notification, your commanding officer believes you have violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Article 15 usually involves minor offenses similar to misdemeanors in a civilian court. Article 15 is a nonjudicial process,...
The big news of late in military law has been the possibility of a major overhaul of many aspects of the system. As we discussed in an earlier blog post, there has been significant media attention around how the military handles sexual assault cases. Two trends...
Anyone who has seen active duty knows that an engagement with the enemy in wartime is chaotic. By definition, war is a violent, chaotic exchange. In this context, how can we understand war crimes? How do we differentiate between an act of war and a criminal act?...
There have always been disagreements about the law. Whenever laws are introduced and put into practice, people argue to change the laws. It’s just part of the normal course of things. Invariably, when changes are implemented, some things are improved and other...