THE MILITARY • 2019 COMMANDER AND THE THE LAW MILITARY THE MILITARY COMMANDER AND THE LAW TE G OCA ENE DV RA A L E ’S G S D C H U J O E O H L T U N E C IT R E D FO S R TATES AI The Military Commander and the Law is a publication of The Judge Advocate General’s School. This publication is used as a deskbook for instruction at various commander courses at Air University. It also serves as a helpful reference guide for commanders in the field, providing general guidance and helping commanders to clarify issues and identify potential problem areas. Disclaimer: As with any publication of secondary authority, this deskbook should not be used as the basis for action on specific cases. Primary authority, much of which is cited in this edition, should first be carefully reviewed. Finally, this deskbook does not serve as a substitute for advice from the staff judge advocate. Editorial Note: This edition was edited and published during the Secretary of the Air Force’s Air Force Directive Publication Reduction initiative. Therefore, many of the primary authorities cited in this edition may have been rescinded, consolidated, or superseded since publication. It is imperative that all authorities cited herein be first verified for currency on https://www.e-publishing.af.mil/. Readers with questions or comments concerning this publication should contact the editors of The Military Commander and the Law at the following address: The Judge Advocate General’s School 150 Chennault Circle (Bldg 694) Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112-6418 Comm. (334) 953-2802 or DSN 493-2802 [email protected] This publication is available at: https://www.afjag.af.mil/Library/AFJAGS-Library THE MILITARY COMMANDER AND THE LAW Edition Fifteen 2019 LIEUTENANT GENERAL JEFFREY A. ROCKWELL THE JUDGE ADVOCatE GENERAL OF THE AIR FORCE COLONEL BRYAN D. WATSON COMMANDANT, THE JUDGE ADVOCatE GENERAL’S SCHOOL MAJOR JENNY A. LIABENOW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MAJOR MICAH C. MCMILLAN MAJOR ERIC H. FRENCK MAJOR RICHARD A. HANRAHAN CAPTAIN JEFFREY C. CAMPBELL EXECUTIVE EDITORS MS. THOMASA T. HUFFSTUTLER COVER DESIGN AND PROJECT EDITOR EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Colonel Sheri K. Jones Major Daphne L. Jackson Colonel Benjamin M. Bowden Major Alexandra L. McCrary-Dennis Colonel Thomas G. Becker, USAF Ret Major Brian H. Adams Colonel Mark D. Stoup, USAF Ret Major Robert K. Gotheridge Lieutenant Colonel Cynthia T. Kearley Captain Nicole J. Herbers Lieutenant Colonel Charles G. Warren Captain Scott A. Taylor Lieutenant Colonel Ranae L. Doser-Pascual Senior Master Sergeant Jacob M. Wolf Lieutenant Colonel Arie J. Schaap Master Sergeant Robert M. Ray III Lieutenant Colonel Tracy M. Siler Master Sergeant Crystal L. Smith Major Sara J. Carrasco Master Sergeant Adria D. Winlock Major Alexander O. Dehner Master Sergeant Austin R. Hardin Major Adam G. Mudge Master Sergeant Joshua L. Burrows Major Amanda K. Snipes Technical Sergeant Eduardo De La Torre Major M. Arthur Vaughn II Technical Sergeant Angel D. Kozar Major Lauren E. Rosenblatt Technical Sergeant Christina E. Contreras Major Wolfgang S. Weber Technical Sergeant Stacey E. Warfield Major Alan G. Serrano Technical Sergeant Precilla A. Lawrence Major Brian D. Green i SPECIAL THANKS TO Headquarters U.S. Air Force Administrative Law Directorate (AF/JAA) Headquarters U.S. Air Force Operations and International Law Directorate (AF/JAO) Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Civil Law and Litigation Directorate (AFLOA/JAC) Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Community Legal Services Directorate (AFLOA/CLS) Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Judiciary (AFLOA/JAJ) Air Force Legal Operations Agency, Commercial Law & Litigation Directorate (AFLOA/JAQ) Air Force Personnel Center, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (AFPC/JA) 24th Air Force, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (24 AF/JA) The Judge Advocate General’s School (AFJAGS) AFJAGS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AFJAGS and Publications: https://www.afjag.af.mil/Library/AFJAGS-Library ii GENERAL DAVID L. GOLDFEIN CHIEF OF STAFF, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT GENERAL STEVEN L. KWAST COMMANDER, AIR EDUCATION AND TRAINING COMMAND LIEUTENANT GENERAL ANTHONY J. COTTON COMMANDER AND PRESIDENT, AIR UNIVERSITY MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL D. ROTHSTEIN COMMANDER, CURTIS E. LEMAY CENTER FOR DOCTRINE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION LIEUTENANT COLONEL DARIN M. GREGG DIRECTOR, AIR UNIVERSITY PRESS ____________________________________ DONNA BUDJENSKA PROJECT EDITOR NEDRA LOONEY PREPRESS PRODUCTION DIANE CLARK PRINT PREPARATION AND DISTRIBUTION ____________________________________ Air University Press Air University Press AU Press Facebook: 600 Chennault Circle, Bldg. 1405 https://www.facebook.com/AirUnivPress Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6026 and https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/AUPress Twitter: https://twitter.com/aupress Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 9781585662890 iii iv THE Military Commander AND THE Law TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: LEGAL ISSUES SPECIFICTO THE COMMANDER .........................................1 Sources of Command Authority .......................................................................................................2 Command Succession ..........................................................................................................................4 Functions of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) ................................................................................7 Personal Liability of Commanders and Supervisors ..................................................................9 Article 138 Complaints ...................................................................................................................... 10 Unlawful Command Influence (UCI) ............................................................................................. 13 Serving as a Court Member ............................................................................................................. 15 Testifying as a Witness ....................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER TWO: QUALITY FORCEMANAGEMENT .................................................................... 19 Administrative Counselings, Admonishments, and Reprimands ...................................... 20 Unfavorable Information File (UIF) ................................................................................................ 27 Control Rosters ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Administrative Demotions ............................................................................................................... 34 Selective Reenlistment ...................................................................................................................... 37 Reserve Reenlistments ...................................................................................................................... 39 Officer and Enlisted Evaluation Systems ..................................................................................... 41 Officer Promotion Propriety Actions ............................................................................................ 45 Enlisted Promotion Propriety Actions .......................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER THREE: NONJUDICIALPUNISHMENT UNDER ARTICLE 15, UCMJ .............. 51 Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP) Overview and Procedures .................................................... 52 Supplementary Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP) Actions ........................................................ 58 Quality Force Management Effects of Nonjudicial Punishment (NJP) ............................. 62 v CHAPTER FOUR: ADMINISTRATIVESEPARATION FROM THE AIR FORCE ................... 65 Involuntary Separation of Enlisted Members: General Considerations ........................... 66 Involuntary Separation of Enlisted Members: Reasons for Discharge ............................. 69 Dual Action Processing of Administrative and Medical Discharges ................................. 75 Procedure to Involuntarily Separate Enlisted Members ........................................................ 76 Probation and Rehabilitation (P&R) for Enlisted Members .................................................. 79 Officer Separations ............................................................................................................................. 82 Administrative Separation of Reservists ..................................................................................... 86 CHAPTER FIVE: CRIMINAL AND MILITARY JUSTICE ............................................................... 89 Installation Jurisdiction ..................................................................................................................... 90 Federal Magistrate Program ............................................................................................................ 92 Court-Martial Jurisdiction Under the UCMJ............................................................................... 94 A Commander’s Guide to the AFOSI ............................................................................................ 97 Functions of the Area Defense Counsel (ADC) .......................................................................102 Command Response to Sexual Assault .....................................................................................103 Sexual