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 2-15 Student Notes: 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