What happens if you fail a military drug test?
Most armed service members know when they return to their unit after the holidays or other periods of leave, they will likely be subjected to military drug testing. A positive military drug test result can impact their military career and may even result in court-martial charges.
Military Records Correction
The secretary of a military branch, acting through a board for correction of military records (BCMR), has the authority to change any military record when necessary to correct an error or remove an injustice.
Questions About Military Drug Testing
While preparing for a court-martial case at Fort Bragg I had the chance to speak with a Forensic Toxicologist who was one of my experts for the case. The Toxicologist works as a civilian for the military. He has spent years working with military drug testing facilities and is familiar with their internal processes and the studies that evaluate military drug testing procedures.
Jonathan W. Crisp, Owner of Crisp and Associates LLC, weighs in on Non-Judicial Punishment
Article 15s/Mast/Non-judicial punishment can have almost as devastating an effect on one’s career as an actual court-martial. The effect it can have is often dictated by the current OPTEMPO and command climate.
Will the Military Automatically Upgrade My Discharge?
One of the most common urban legends throughout the military is that a negative service characterization or discharge will be upgraded after six months. Throughout the last decade and a half that I have been practicing military law, I have heard this idea repeated many times.
Administrative Separation and Deployment Readiness
There has been a recent push throughout all military branches to decrease the number of “non-deployable” troops. The Army Chief of Staff recently stated that he wants 100% of military personnel ready to deploy by 2023. As part of this push, the Pentagon rolled out the “deploy-or-out” policy, effective 1 October 2018.
When Experts Matter
We litigated a hard-fought trial in Pennsylvania involving the death of a woman. We obtained a full acquittal after almost two years of motions practice and battling with the prosecution. Even though the trial lasted four long days, the jury deliberated for less than 30 minutes before reaching a verdict.
Should I Go Judge Alone?
One of the frequent questions I hear in my practice relates to whether or not a military member facing court-martial should “go judge alone.” That means that a military judge rather than a court-martial panel will decide guilt or innocence and then decide on an appropriate sentence.
FITBITs’ Targeted by New ARMY Memo
Fitbits’ are targeted by the military. On 3 August 2018, the Deputy Secretary of Defense authored a Memorandum that may outlaw most fitness devices, tablets, applications, and other software used by deployed Soldiers.
Space Force Details Announced
Vice President Mike Pence recently announced details of the Trump Administration’s plan for a sixth branch of the U.S. military, the Space Force. Vice President Pence stated that the White House aims to have the Space Force operational by the year 2020 and will request 8 billion dollars over the next five years to fund the new Armed Forces branch.
