2016 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States
Orders Amendments to Military Courts-Martial Procedures and Manual
What it does
It directs the military justice system to amend Parts I, II, and IV of the Manual for Courts-Martial as described in the attached annex.
Real-world impact
- Changes rules and procedures used in military criminal trials.
- Does not make past acts newly punishable before the effective date.
- Allows ongoing investigations, nonjudicial punishments, and trials to proceed unchanged.
Topics
Summary
This order updates the Manual for Courts-Martial, the rulebook for military criminal trials and procedures. It amends Parts I, II, and IV as described in the annex and makes those amendments effective on the order's date.
The changes affect service members, military lawyers, and commanders who use the manual. The order also states it will not punish people for past acts that were not punishable before the effective date, and ongoing investigations, nonjudicial punishments, and trials may continue unchanged.
Questions, answered
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