Military law

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Military law is a distinct legal system to which members of armed forces are subject. Most countries have special additional laws, and often a legal system, which are applicable to members of their military but not usually to civilians. Military law deals with issues such as; procedures for military discipline, what is (and what isn't) a lawful command, obligations for service personnel.

Military law can also be imposed on the civilian population instead of normal civil laws. In this instance it may be called martial law, and is often declared in times of emergency, war, or civil unrest. Most countries have restrictions on when martial law can be declared, and how long it can remain.

Declaration of martial or military law is sometimes used by dictatorships, especially military dictatorships, to enforce their rule.

1 United Kingdom
2 United States
3 References
4 See also

[edit] United Kingdom

The Armed Forces Act 2006 will replace the separate Service Discipline Acts as the system of law under which the Armed Forces operate by 2008. The Armed Forces Act harmonises Service law and as a result produces a tri-Service system that ensures consistency and parity when dealing with service personnel. One motivating factor behind the changes in the legislation combining discipline acts across the armed forces is the the trend towards tri-service operations and defence organisations.

[edit] United States

Military law in the United States is controlled by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Title 10 United States Code, Chapter 47) and implemented by the Manual for Courts-Martial, an Executive order issued by the President of the United States in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the United States armed forces.

Many of the military's top lawyers worry that George W. Bush's plan to define standards of prisoner treatment could violate treaty obligations and deprive U.S. troops of rights if they are captured.^[1]