A Military Practitioner's Guide to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act in Contingency Operations

摘要

Jurisdiction over civilians serving with or accompanying U.S. troops abroad has been a contentious and evolving area of the law for more than fifty years. While the law and the operational landscape continue to change, one thing is likely to stay the same: civilian employees and contractors will continue to serve alongside U.S. servicemembers overseas. It is important for commanders to understand that civilian misconduct, especially if mishandled, can have a palpable impact on their mission, and for judge advocates to understand every tool at their disposal for dealing with such misconduct. While it is difficult to prepare for every contingency a military practitioner might face in a deployed environment, being prepared to deal with civilian misconduct is both possible and essential to the mission.