Preface

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Preface

Tailhook . . . Aberdeen . . . LT Kelly Flinn . . . these names conjure up images of media frenzy and public scrutiny of the military justice system. Each time the media spotlights such incidents, the public re-examines and often criticizes the military and its system of justice. Sometimes, the system is defended; other times, the system is amended. However, these recent examples of public concern pale in comparison to the scrutiny that the military justice system received following World War II. The two million courts-martial of World War II personalized the question of military justice fairness for the one in eight United States citizens who were members of the Armed Forces. The public outcry for change ultimately resulted in the most significant transformation in the history of military justice. The result: the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The promulgation of the UCMJ, along with its principal implementing regulation, the Manual for Courts-Martial, marks the beginning of the modern military justice period. Now, fifty years later, it seems only appropriate that the military legal community mark this milestone with a symposium review of the origin, historical developments, and current criticisms of the military justice system.

Brigadier General (Retired) John S. Cooke's Introduction to this symposium edition details the promulgation of the UCMJ and its history, providing the reader with the background necessary to understand the current status and the areas ripe for change. Major General (Retired) George S. Prugh, Jr's. Observations-1954 gives the reader a glimpse into the modern military justice system in its infancy. His further retrospective, Observations-2000 notes the personal challenges faced under the new system, as well as his reflections on the military justice system.

After an historical background, this symposium issue moves to a review of the highest military court, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), through the personal accounts of several of its judges. Major Walter M. Hudson, a former criminal law faculty member of the The Judge Advocate General's School, conducted interviews with two Senior Judges of the CAAF. Senior Judge Robinson O. Everett and Senior Judge Walter T. Cox, III answer detailed, poignant questions about their personal and professional roles as members of the CAAF. Their perspectives on current issues facing the military justice system are enhanced by the

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