Manual for Courts-Martial; Proposed Amendments

The Joint Service Committee on Military Justice (JSC) is publishing the response to public comments concerning amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (MCM). These amendments include provisions implementing the Military Justice Act of 2016 and subsequent amendments necessitated by follow-on legislation. The changes concern the rules of procedure and evidence applicable in trials by court-martial, nonjudicial punishment proceedings, and the punitive articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Also included is a proposed revision of Appendix 12A of the Manual for Courts-Martial concerning lesser included offenses. The approval authority for these changes is the President. These proposed changes have not been coordinated within the Department of Defense under DoD Directive 5500.01, ``Preparing, Processing and Coordinating Legislation, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Views Letters, and Testimony,'' June 15, 2007, and do not constitute the official position of the Department of Defense, the Military Departments, or any other Government agency.