A number of former and retired judge advocates (JAGs) established the Former JAGs Working Group in February 2025 following the Secretary of Defense’s unprecedented removal of the Army, Navy, and Air Force Judge Advocates General. Originally formed to alert all Americans about that event’s broader adverse impact on the role and rule of law in the military and to counter its effective dismantling of established legal guardrails within the Department of Defense, today our coalition of former military judge advocates is dedicated to serving as an independent, public-service resource grounded in the laws governing the use of the U.S. Armed Forces. Members served on active duty and in the reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, as well as in civilian attorney and leadership positions in the Department of Defense.
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The materials presented on this site reflect and incorporate the legal and ethical standards, reasoning, and methodologies JAGs traditionally use when advising commanders on the legality of military actions. Although all factual assumptions rely exclusively on public information, the legal principles articulated in each document, interview, and essay are the same ones that guide real-world operational decision-making.
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By publishing these briefs, the Former JAGs Working Group hopes to help policymakers, journalists, and the public evaluate whether current and future uses of the U.S. military are rooted in objective analysis, good-faith arguments, and solid legal principles. Where such rigorous review is absent, these materials are also intended to help identify and measure the likely risks to civilian control of the military, adherence to the rule of law, and the integrity of national security decision-making.