| United States Army Military Police Corps | |
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Military Police badge |
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| Active | 26 September 1941 – |
| Country | United States of America |
| Part of | Department of Defense Department of the Army |
| Motto | " Of The Troops And For The Troops!" |
| Branch Colors | Green piped with yellow. Green – 65007 cloth; 67129 yarn; PMS 357. Yellow – 65002 cloth; 67108 yarn; PMS 123 |
| Engagements | Revolutionary War Northwest Indian War Tecumseh's War Creek War Peoria War War of 1812 Seminole Wars Black Hawk War Mexican-American War Utah War American Civil War Spanish-American War Philippine-American War Banana Wars Boxer Rebellion World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Persian Gulf War Kosovo War Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Commandant | Brigadier General Mark Inch |
| Insignia | |
| Coat Of Arms | |
| Branch Insignia | |
| Branch Plaque | |
| Regimental Insignia | |
The Military Police Corps is the uniformed law enforcement branch of the United States Army. Investigations are conducted by Military Police Investigators or the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), both of which report to the Provost Marshal General.
MPs are service members of the U.S. Army.
Some U.S. MP units, usually at the division or brigade level, are designated as combat, division MPs whose combat zone responsibilities include protection of vehicle routes, defile control, route reconnaissance and straggler control, the guidance or detention of soldiers who have become lost, separated from their units, or have fled the battlefield. Since the beginning of the war on terror, military police have become a valuable asset to combat operations due to the versatility of the MOS. They have been used more in a combat arms role rather than their normal combat support role.
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The Army's Military Police provide an important function in the full spectrum of Army operations as a member of the Maneuver, Fires, and Effects division. The Military Police Corps provides expertise in police, detainment and stability operations in order to enhance security and enable mobility. The Army's Military Police can be utilized in direct combat and during peacetime. The Military Police have five main functions:
1. Maneuver and mobility support operations
2. Area security operations
3. Law and order operations
4. Internment and resettlement operations
5. Police intelligence operations
These five functions of the Army's Military Police all provide a commander with the necessary information and support for the successful completion of many Army missions.
The Military Police Corps has five career paths within the Army, one for commissioned officers, one for warrant officers, and four for enlisted soldiers:
The Military Police Corps is one of the youngest branches of the United States Army. It was officially established on 26 September 1941.
The Military Police Corps traces its lineage and history back to the American Revolution. General George Washington requested that the staff position of Provost Marshal be created to deal with disciplinary issues. In January 1776, William Maroney was appointed as the first Provost Marshall of the Continental Army.[2] The Provost Marshals relied on soldiers temporarily drawn from other units, and had difficulty enforcing discipline. On 20 May 1778, Congress established the Provost Corps, which General Washington referred to as the "Marechaussee."[2] Captain Bartholomew von Heer, a German-speaking officer from Pennsylvania, was appointed as the first commander of the Marechaussee on 1 June 1778.[2] Under the new organization, the Provost Marshal was responsible for soldiers under custody and for punishments, while the Marechaussee was tasked with the enforcement of order within the Continental Army. The Marechaussee Corps would be formed exclusively as a police organization, and was organized and equipped as light dragoons, utilizing their speed to aid in troop movements and moving prisoners from the battlefield. The Marechaussee protected the Army's rear and flanks during troop movements, searched for stragglers, guarded river crossings, and engaged in combat when needed, as in the Battle of Springfield.[3] The Provost Corps was disbanded in November 1783.[3]
In 1863, the Office of the Provost Marshal General was established and oversaw the Veterans Reserve Corps (VRC). In the US Civil War, the VRC maintained law and order at garrison areas, while other provost guard units served on the front lines. After the war, the Office of the Provost Marshal General was discontinued as the Union Army disbanded.
During the Moro Rebellion following the Spanish–American War, the United States founded the Philippine Constabulary. Training began in 1902, and Brigadier General Harry Hill Bandholtz was appointed as chief of the Constabulary in 1907.[4]
The complexity of warfare during World War I required a Corps of specially trained soldiers to handle massive numbers of prisoners of war and control the movement of troops and supplies in the zones of operation. The Military Police Training Department was established 9 September 1918 at Caserne Changarnier in Autun, France.[4] Following the war, Brigadier General Harry Hill Bandholtz, who had served as Provost Marshal of the American Expeditionary Forces, proposed the establishment of a permanent Military Police Corps. Although Congress failed to act upon this recommendation, it allowed for the permanent organization of Army military police units in the National Defense Act Amendment of 1920.[5]
In 1917, CPL Charles W. Baltimore, a black Military Police soldier stationed at Camp Logan, Texas, inquired into the beating of a black soldier by Houston police, and was himself beaten and arrested.[6] The racial tension which followed led to the Houston Riot, which killed four soldiers and sixteen civilians, and 60 black soldiers were executed or sentenced to life in prison.
During World War II, Military Police schools were established at Camp Gordon and Fort Benjamin Harrison, and MPs also trained for port security at Fort McHenry.[4] Military Police soldiers moved traffic along the Burma Road, supported amphibious operations on Normandy beachheads,[7] and managed enemy prisoners of war from Italy to the South Pacific. The Corps was heralded for gallantry at Remagen, as a fighting force in numerous combat actions and as peacekeepers at war’s end. In 1944, the Army again saw the need for a unit to investigate crime involving Soldiers in Europe. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division was established as a branch of the Provost Marshal General’s Office and has continued investigative activity since.
In 1949, the newly formed Defense Department was in the process of reorganizing the Army and plans were developed to disband the Military Police Corps. But when Congress passed the Army Reorganization Act in May 1950, the Corps survived, remaining a separate branch of the Army.
When the armies invaded South Korea in June 1950, there were some MP units stationed in Korea. One of those was the 55th Military Police Company, which had been assigned to Camp Ascom in December 1948. Most of those military police units that arrived during the early months of the war came from Japan, where they were serving as occupation forces following World War II. While the majority of MP companies came from outside Korea, most of the battalions of the Korean War were formed on the peninsula
During the Korean war, Military Police kept supply routes open. Subsequently, Military Police monitored the exchange of prisoners and patrolled the demilitarized zone. Military Police, adapting to a different style of warfare in Vietnam, earned status as a combat support arm, partially as a result of combat success during the Tet Offensive.
Since Vietnam, the versatility of the Military Police Corps has made it a "Force of Choice" for use in low-intensity conflicts and Operations Other than War such as Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada (1983) and Operation Just Cause in Panama (1989).
During Operations Desert Shield and Storm, the Military Police provided area security, conducted battlefield circulation control, and exercised custody over thousands of Iraqi prisoners. Since 1991, the Military Police have assisted in restoring hope to Somalia and upholding democracy in Haiti and Bosnia. Military Police maintained order in war-torn Kosovo, as well as keeping the peace in Afghanistan. During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, MPs were used extensively to maintain control over the large numbers of detainees being held by coalition forces, as well as helping to conduct raids, convoy security and regular patrols. MP's were the main force responsible in rebuilding and training the Iraqi Police. Ever since the invasion, military police have been one of the most heavily engaged MOS's in the Iraqi theater due to the constant exposure outside the wire.
In the United States, MPs often provided disaster relief and internal security, while still fulfilling their fundamental function of maintaining discipline and security within the Army. The Military Police Corps has been a very busy organization during the years of its existence, and as one of the most deployed branches of the Army, it appears that it will remain so for the foreseeable future.
Women in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps were assigned Military Police duties as early as 1941.[8] By 1943, soldiers in the Women's Army Corps were trained as Military Police in order to police female soldiers, although they had jurisdiction over all soldiers, including males.[8] Women have since served in the Military Police Corps, and female MPs have crossed many gender barriers in the United States Armed Forces.
Women now make up 25% of the MP Corps.[14] The mixed-gender MP Corps is valued in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where cultural taboos may prevent male soldiers from interacting with women.[15]
In the U.S. Army, a simple patch with the legend "MP" worn on the left arm distinguishes a military police soldier wearing the new Army Combat Uniform (ACU). This patch is attached to the uniform by velcro. For both garrison law enforcement duty as well as for tactical field work, the patch is a subdued gray with black lettering.
US military police used to be distinguished by a brassard worn on the left arm when on duty in previous uniform versions such as the Battle Dress Uniform. The brassard was black with white lettering for garrison law enforcement duty and could include extra designations such as "Customs MP" or "K-9 MP" (for dog handlers). Tactical brassards were green with black lettering for temperate climates and sand with light brown lettering for desert duty.
When wearing a Class A (suit) or B uniform they are authorized wear of combat boots instead of regulation low-cut shoes. However, like Airborne soldiers who may only wear the boots while on jump status, MP's may only wear these boots with Class A or B uniforms when performing law enforcement duties.
During World War II, the emblems used were a wide white band around the helmet or a white helmet liner or a white peaked cap, a white webbing Sam Browne belt, white gloves, and white gaiters, atop the standard olive drab uniform. From this clothing, the nickname they were given by the British civilians at the time was "snowdrops." An MP armband was also worn on the left arm, usually black or dark blue with white letters.
The standard weapons of the United States military police are the 9 mm M9 pistol, the M4 carbine, the M203 grenade launcher, and the Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun. Usually MP team leaders are assigned an M203 grenade launcher, gunners are assigned an M4, and drivers are assigned the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW).
Crew-served or vehicle based weapons include the M2 Browning machine gun, the Mk 19 grenade launcher and the M240B machine gun.
Mounted MP teams often carry at least one AT4 as well.
Military Police are considered maneuver support, and MP units may be organized at many different levels, based on the size of the unit it is meant to support. An Army Corps may contain one MP brigade, which is responsible for training and supplying subordinate MP units. When MP units are deployed, their parent unit may maintain administrative control (ADCON) while relinquishing tactical control (TACON) to the deployed unit being supported. Smaller MP units are also organic to maneuver units. An infantry division, for example, contains an organic MP Company, while a maneuver Brigade combat team includes an MP platoon or cell.
The Military Police Investigations (MPI) office is usually responsible for the investigation of minor crimes, such as crimes against property under $5,000.00 and crimes against persons except murder and rape committed on a military installation, but they may investigate other crimes in certain circumstances. MPI personnel are enlisted MP's who go through a special course at the Military Police School in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
The United States Marine Corps also employs military police forces. Although typically associated with and attached to a Marine Corps Base Provost Marshal, the USMC also fields combat support MP companies.[16] In addition, the US Marine Corps implemented the Marine Corps Civilian Police program in June 2007 to provide a civilian law enforcement service for garrsion policing and for Marine Corps facility protection.[17] Like their US Army counterparts, Marine MPs are trained at Fort Leonard Wood.
The U.S Navy uses the terms Shore Patrol and Master at Arms, while the U.S. Air Force uses the term Security Forces, or SPs (for their former name, the Security Police), to describe the Air Force Security Forces. The U.S. Coast Guard, whose members have civilian law enforcement authority under Title 14 of U.S. Code, uses Coast Guard Police Officers (regular and reserve military members assigned to uniformed patrol duties at Coast Guard Police Departments in various cities).
The Department of Defense use Department of Defense Police. Each service also maintains uniformed civilian police officers. They are referred to as either DOD Force Protection, DOD (Department of Defense) Police, DOD (Department of Defense) Guard, DA (Department of the Army) Police or DA Guard. The Air Force utilizes Department of the Air Force Police. The police officers' peacetime duties are the same as those of civilian police, namely to enforce the laws of the U.S. Military in the form of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), and the regulations of their particular installation. The civilian guards' duties are normally restricted to protection of priority resources. There is one Department of Defense police agency whose duties include executive protection and law enforcement throughout the Pentagon Reservation and throughout the National Capital Region (NCR). The United States Pentagon Police is the principal law enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of Defense and the federal police force of the Secretary of Defense. These officers/agents provide a wide array of services to the Department of Defense community throughout the NCR and possess full federal authority as described in Title 10 of United States Code (U.S.C.).