There Are Currently About 280 U.S. Military Lawyers Overseeing All Proposed U.S. Combat Missions

Wikipedia

Daily Caller: EXCLUSIVE: At Least 280 Military Lawyers Scrutinize US Military Operations, Often In Real Time

U.S. military commanders must deal with at least 280 military lawyers overseeing their decisions and scrutinizing the legality all proposed U.S. combat missions before they are authorized, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation.

The number appears to be the first comprehensive compilation of the number of lawyers assigned at the headquarter levels. They provide often real-time legal advice to military commanders about the “laws of war” and rules of engagement for all U.S. military strikes, counter-terror operations and rescue missions.

Critics have charged that, as the number of lawyers in the military has swelled, lawyers are trumping commanders about military strategy and operations. Others contend that the growth in military lawyers reflects the risk-adverse nature of the Obama administration on military matters.

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WNU Editor: These 280 lawyers do not include attorneys assigned at or below the battalion level, nor does it include lawyers or judges who oversee criminal acts committed by uniformed personnel under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. A few months ago I asked someone that I know in Moscow who is knowledgeable about Russian military operations on how many lawyers do they have that oversee Russian military operations. His answer .... none. Their past experience with lawyers in combat was more in the form of political officers overseeing military operations .... and that has been deemed as a disaster. And while there are probably lawyers in the Russian military .... military operations are conducted and overseen by military officers following specific rules of engagement (but not as detailed as what the Americans must follow), and they do so with the backing (and direction) from their political masters in the Kremlin.