UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE Until  1951,  the  various  branches  of  our  armed forces  operated  under  different  military  codes.  The Army’s   Articles of War   guided the administration of discipline and legal processes of the Army and Air Force. The Navy was guided by the   Articles for the Government of the Navy  (“Rocks and Shoals”), and the Coast Guard, by the   Disciplinary Laws of the Coast Guard. Not surprisingly, an act considered an offense in the eyes of the Navy might not have been judged so in the Army. Even if an act was a breach of discipline in all branches  of  the  armed  forces,  the  type  of  trial  and severity of punishment awarded varied. A  standardized  code  of  military  justice  was recognized  as  a  logical  and  necessary  unification measure.  Secretary  of  Defense,  James  Forrestal, appointed  an  interservice  committee  to  study  the measure.  After  an  intensive  study,  the  committee drafted what is now known as the   Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The   UCMJ   was passed by Congress  on  5  May  1950,  signed  into  law  by  the President, and became effective 31 May 1951. The   Manual  for  Courts-Martial,  United  States, 1951 (MCM), consolidated and standardized military legal procedures. Effective 31 May 1951, the same date as  the  original    UCMJ,  the    MCM    became  the  new standard of military justice. Case decisions of the Court of  Military  Appeals  and  changes  in  courts-martial procedures have made necessary several changes to the original manual. The current edition is the  Manual for Courts-Martial, 1995 Edition. Congress and the Navy have taken steps to ensure you will know the disciplinary laws and regulations most likely to affect your daily life. Article 137 of the UCMJ  states that certain articles of the Code must be explained carefully to every enlisted person at certain intervals. They must be explained— at the time the person enters on active duty, after 6 months of active duty, and when the person reenlists. In  general,  these  articles  concern  the  following topics: Navy Regulations   supplements article 137 of the UCMJ  by requiring each command to post the text of those articles in the preceding list in a conspicuous place. Navy Regs also requires each command to include these and other appropriate articles of Navy Regulations in  the  command’s  training  and  education  program. Copies  of  the  complete   UCMJ   (140  articles),   Navy Regulations, and other general orders are available to any person who wants to read them. Excerpts from the  Uniform Code of Military Justice The purpose of this section is not to make you an expert on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) but to give you an overview of each of the articles prescribed  by  article  137.  Those  articles  that  are 2-16 Article Subject 2 Persons subject to the Code 3 Jurisdiction to try certain persons even though they have been separated from the service 7-14 Apprehension and restraint 15 Nonjudicial punishment (captain’s mast) 25 Membership of courts-martial 27 Detail of trial and defense counsel 31 Compulsory self-incrimination prohibited 37 Unlawful influence on the court 38 Duties of counsel 55 Certain cruel and unusual punishments prohibited 77-134 Punitive articles 137 Articles that must be explained 138 Complaints of wrongs 139 Payment for injury or loss of property Student Notes :