[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31952-31953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14447]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID DOD-2017-OS-0032]


Proposed Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United 
States (2016 ed.)

AGENCY: Joint Service Committee on Military Justice (JSC), Department 
of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense requests comments on proposed 
changes to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (2016 ed.) 
(MCM). The proposed changes include provisions implementing the 
Military Justice Act of 2016, Division E of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Public Law 114-328, 130 Stat. 
2000 (2016), and concern the rules of procedure and evidence applicable 
in trials by court-martial, nonjudicial punishment proceedings, and the 
punitive articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Also 
included is a proposed revision of Appendix 12A of the Manual for 
Courts-Martial concerning lesser included offenses. The approval 
authority for these changes is the President. These proposed changes 
have not been coordinated within the Department of Defense under DoD 
Directive 5500.01, ``Preparing, Processing and Coordinating 
Legislation, Executive Orders, Proclamations, Views Letters, and 
Testimony,'' June 15, 2007, and do not constitute the official position 
of the Department of Defense, the Military Departments, or any other 
Government agency.
    The proposed changes also concern certain supplementary materials 
that accompany the rules of procedure, rules of evidence, and punitive 
articles. The Department of Defense, in conjunction with the Department 
of Homeland Security, publishes these supplementary materials to 
accompany the Manual for Courts-Martial. The supplementary materials 
included in this notice consist of Discussions (accompanying the 
Preamble, the Rules for Courts-Martial, the Military Rules of Evidence, 
and the Punitive Articles), Analyses, Appendix 2.1, and specific 
changes to Appendix

[[Page 31953]]

24. The approval authority for changes to the supplementary materials 
is the General Counsel, Department of Defense; changes to these items 
do not require Presidential approval.

DATES: Comments on the proposed changes must be received no later than 
September 11, 2017. A public meeting for comments will be held on 
August 3, 2017, from 10 a.m. until noon, in the United States Court of 
Appeals for the Armed Forces building, 450 E Street, NW., Washington, 
DC 20442-0001. Commentators will be heard in order of arrival and 
check-in, and will be limited to five minutes.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Deputy Chief 
Management Officer, Directorate for Oversight and Compliance, 4800 Mark 
Center Drive, Mailbox #24, Suite 08D09B, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket ID for this Federal Register document. The general policy 
for comments and other submissions from members of the public is to 
make these submissions available for public viewing on the Internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, 
including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lieutenant Alexandra Nica, JAGC, USN, 
Executive Secretary, JSC, (202) 685-7058, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Due to the length of the proposed changes, 
they are being made available on the Internet rather than being printed 
in the Federal Register. The following items are available at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: DOD-2017-OS-0032:
    1. A draft Executive Order.
    2. Annex 1 to the draft Executive Order, which includes changes to 
the Manual for Courts-Martial that would take effect on the date the 
Executive Order is signed by the President. Also included in Annex 1 
are supplemental materials that the Department of Defense, in 
consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, is considering 
issuing if the proposed Executive Order is signed.
    3. Annex 2 to the draft Executive Order, which includes a complete 
reissuance of the Manual for Courts-Martial as revised by Annex 1. 
Annex 2 includes revisions to Parts I, II, III, IV, and V of the Manual 
for Courts-Martial, as well as an Appendix 12A concerning lesser 
included offenses. The complete reissuance of the Manual for Courts-
Martial would take effect on a date designated by the President in the 
Executive Order. The draft Executive Order proposes an effective date 
of January 1, 2019. Annex 2 also includes supplementary materials, such 
as Discussions, Analyses, and an Appendix that the Department of 
Defense, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, is 
considering issuing if the proposed Executive Order is signed.
    The Department of Defense also requests comments on a proposal by a 
Federal Advisory Committee, the Judicial Proceedings Since Fiscal Year 
2012 Amendments Panel (JPP). The JPP's June 2017 report suggested that 
Rule for Courts-Martial 1103A as proposed by Annex 1 and Rule for 
Courts-Martial 1113 as proposed by Annex 2 be further revised to 
include the following: ``Prior to a decision to permit examination of 
material described in this subparagraph, notice and an opportunity to 
be heard shall be given to any person whose records are about to be 
examined and to appellate counsel.'' The report making that 
recommendation is available at http://jpp.whs.mil/Public/docs/08-Panel_Reports/07_JPP_VictimsAppRights_Report_Final_20170602.pdf. The 
Department invites public comment on the JPP's proposal.
    The full text of the Uniform Code of Military Justice as amended by 
Military Justice Act of 2016 is available electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket ID: DOD-2017-OS-0032.
    This notice is provided in accordance with DoD Directive 5500.17, 
``Role and Responsibilities of the Joint Service Committee (JSC) on 
Military Justice,'' May 3, 2003.
    The JSC invites members of the public to comment on the proposed 
changes; such comments should address specific recommended changes and 
provide supporting rationale.
    This notice also sets forth the date, time, and location for a 
public meeting of the JSC to discuss the proposed changes.
    This notice is intended only to improve the internal management of 
the Federal Government. It is not intended to create any right or 
benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by 
any party against the United States, its agencies, its officers, or any 
person.

    Dated: July 5, 2017.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2017-14447 Filed 7-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P