Report of the Subcommittee on Military Justice in Combat Zones
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DEFENSE LEGAL POLICY BOARD REPORT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY JUSTICE IN COMBAT ZONES Military Justice in cases of U.S. Service members alleged to have caused the death, injury or abuse of non-combatants in Iraq or Afghanistan FINAL REPORT May 30, 2013 This report is a product of the Defense Legal Policy Board (DLPB). The DLPB is a Federal Advisory Committee established to provide independent advice to the Secretary of Defense. Statements, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations in this report do not necessarily represent the official position of the Department of Defense. The DLPB Subcommittee on Military Justice in Combat Zones completed its information gathering in April 2013. This report is UNCLASSIFIED and releasable to the public. DEFENSE LEGAL POLICY BOARD DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Table of Contents Table of Contents .................................................................................................. ii 1.0 Executive Summary ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Subcommittee Membership and the Secretary of Defense’s Questions .......................... 1 1.3 Overview of Subcommittee Study ..................................................................................... 2 1.4 Role of the Joint Commander ............................................................................................ 3 1.5 Training .............................................................................................................................. 6 1.6 Reporting ........................................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Investigations..................................................................................................................... 7 1.8 Case Resolution Process .................................................................................................... 8 1.8 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 9 2.0 Preface ......................................................................................................... 11 3.0 Military Justice in Combat Zones .................................................................. 17 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 17 3.2 The Impact of Civilian Casualties on Mission Accomplishment Is Ever-Increasing ......... 19 3.3 The Promotion of Good Order and Discipline in the Armed Forces in Combat .............. 21 3.4 The Commander’s Responsibilities for Reporting and Investigating Crimes .................. 22 3.5 The Military Justice System in an Increasingly Joint Environment .................................. 25 3.6 Considerations When Conducting Judicial Operations in a Deployed Environment ...... 26 4.0 Subcommittee Findings and Recommendations ........................................... 28 4.1 Summary Findings and Recommendations ..................................................................... 28 4.2 Issues Outside Scope of the Secretary of Defense’s Mandate ........................................ 46 4.3 Sustained Best Practices .................................................................................................. 46 5.0 Incident Reporting ......................................................................................... 48 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 48 5.2 Civilian Casualty Reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan ........................................................ 49 5.3 What Should be Reported ............................................................................................... 56 DLPB SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT | TABLE OF CONTENTS ii DEFENSE LEGAL POLICY BOARD DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 5.4 Obstacles to Reporting .................................................................................................... 57 5.5 Enablers to Thorough, Prompt, and Accurate Reporting ................................................ 59 6.0 Inquiry, Assessment, and Immediate Response ........................................... 69 6.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 69 6.2 Preliminary Inquiry .......................................................................................................... 69 6.3 Additional Assessment When Appropriate, in Coordination with Local Authorities ...... 71 6.4 Appropriate, Rapid Responses to Incidents .................................................................... 73 7.0 Investigations ................................................................................................ 76 7.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 76 7.2 Criminal Investigations .................................................................................................... 80 7.3 Administrative Investigations .......................................................................................... 83 7.4 Interface Between Investigators and Prosecution .......................................................... 86 7.5 Record Maintenance and Accessibility ............................................................................ 87 7.6 Increase in Powers to Obtain Evidence ........................................................................... 87 7.7 Speed and Oversight of Investigations ............................................................................ 88 8.0 Case Resolution Processes .......................................................................... 91 8.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 91 8.2 Role of the Convening Authority ..................................................................................... 92 8.3 Trying Cases Forward ...................................................................................................... 94 8.4 Transfer of Convening Authority Functions .................................................................... 97 8.5 Increasing the Ability to Try Multiple Accused Together ................................................ 97 8.6 Allowing for Alternatives to Live Testimony at Trial ..................................................... 103 8.7 Non-Judicial Punishment ............................................................................................... 107 8.8 Enabling the Commander in the Joint Operational Environment ................................. 109 8.9 Establish Joint Force Commander Control of Military Justice Processes ...................... 111 8.10 Provide Resources to the Joint Force Commander ..................................................... 118 8.11 Pretrial Confinement ................................................................................................... 122 8.12 The Article 32 Investigation Process............................................................................ 123 8.13 Control Over Contractors in the Operational Environment ........................................ 125 8.14 Dereliction of Duty Pertaining to Civilian Casualties ................................................... 128 DLPB SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT | TABLE OF CONTENTS iii DEFENSE LEGAL POLICY BOARD DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 8.15 Transparency Concerning the Disposition of Allegations ............................................ 130 8.16 Mandatory Life Sentence for Premeditated Murder .................................................. 131 8.17 Defense Access to Witnesses ...................................................................................... 131 8.18 Appeal to the Supreme Court ...................................................................................... 132 9.0 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 133 Appendix I. DLPB Tasking Memorandum ......................................................... 134 Appendix II. DLPB and Subcommittee Members .............................................. 136 Appendix III. Recommendations ....................................................................... 140 Appendix IV. Glossary ...................................................................................... 148 Appendix V. DLPB Case Studies ...................................................................... 154 Appendix VI. Separate Statement of Board Member Eugene Fidell ................. 184 Appendix VII. Public Comments........................................................................ 191 Appendix VIII. Comments from Military Departments ....................................... 198 DLPB SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT | TABLE OF CONTENTS iv 1.0 Executive Summary 1.1 Introduction On July 30, 2012, the Secretary of Defense (“SecDef”) established this Subcommittee of the Defense Legal Policy Board and directed it to review and assess the application of military justice in combat zones in cases in which Service members were alleged to have committed offenses against civilians. While this report does not pass judgment