What's a JAG?

Each branch of the military has a legal component, and the Judge Advocate General is the senior legal officer in each branch of the military. As Judge Advocate General of a particular service, the individual is also tasked as legal adviser to the service's secretary.

The military lawyers who work for the JAG are known as judge advocates, and comprise the judicial staff of the armed forces, generally called the JAG Corps. Judge advocates serve as trial counsels — prosecutors and defense lawyers. Depending on the branch, individual lawyers may be one or the other. A judge advocate may prosecute a court-martial one week, and defend a serviceman in a court-martial the next, although this practice is becoming less common. For instance, in the Air Force, advocates start out as prosecutors and after gaining experience may become defense attorneys.

A staff judge advocate is typically the chief military lawyer at an installation, but the functions of the position vary with the services. A judge advocate also serves as a legal adviser on a military commander's staff.

Military judges are drawn from the JAG Corps. A judge advocate can become a military judge if the particular service's Judge Advocate General certifies that the person is qualified for the duty. Every general courts-martial and most special courts-martial will have a military judge assigned.

The military attempts to guarantee a degree of independence for the judicial system by making the judges and JAG Corps attorneys responsible to a separate chain of command topped by the branch's Judge Advocate General.