Judge Advocates in Combat

Judge Advocates in Combat is the first narrative history to examine how Army lawyers enhanced mission success during both traditional combat operations and military operations other than war. Frederic L. Borch looks at the years between 1959 and 1996-when the first judge advocate reported for duty in Vietnam and when the last one serving in Haiti returned home to the United States. Relying on hundreds of interviews, Borch demonstrates that during this tumultuous period of complex, politically charged, military ambiguous operations at home and overseas the role of Army lawyers changed dramatically and in the end contributed greatly to overall mission accomplishment. The contingency-oriented U.S. Army has met and continues to meet national security objectives under close public scrutiny, and its reliance on judge advocates as important force multipliers in the full spectrum of military operations will ensure their ongoing transformation.