{"id":749429758,"date":"2026-06-03T21:19:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gapasinlaw.com\/who-can-convene-a-court-martial"},"modified":"2026-06-03T21:19:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T21:19:05","slug":"who-can-convene-a-court-martial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gapasinlaw.espresso.themodernfirm.com\/?p=749429758","title":{"rendered":"Who Can Convene a Court-Martial?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who Can Convene a Court-Martial?<\/a><\/h1>\n

Posted by Ernesto Gapasin<\/a> | Sep 23, 2016<\/span> | 0 Comments<\/span><\/p>\n

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You may fantasize about court-martialing your commanding officer for denying your last leave request, but unfortunately for you, only very specific parties have the power to convene (i.e., call up or summon) a court-martial. So if you’re relatively low within the military chain of command, you simply don’t have the authority to convene a court-martial. Who can <\/em>convene a court-martial? Below we discuss the individuals who have this right as well as the role of the convening authority.<\/p>\n

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Who Can Convene a Court-Martial?<\/h2>\n

So who can convene a court-martial? As you likely know, courts-martial come in three varieties: general, special, and summary. You have to look at each type of court if you’re wondering who can convene a court-martial.<\/p>\n

General Courts-Martial<\/h3>\n

A number of government officials may convene general courts-martial. These include the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, and the secretaries of each branch of the military. However, the vast majority of general courts-martial are convened by some form of commanding officer (CO). This can be your own CO or that of a fleet, Army group, division, air wing, or other recognized military group, such as a specified or unified combatant command. The President and the secretary of your branch of the military also have the power to designate a specific CO to convene a general court-martial.<\/p>\n

It is important to note that COs who make accusations may not convene related general courts-martial. In such a case, one of their superiors takes on the role instead. In addition, note that anyone with the power to convene a general court-martial may also convene a special or summary court-martial.<\/p>\n

Special Courts-Martial<\/h3>\n

First, as we just mentioned, anyone who can convene a general court-martial can also convene a special court-martial. In addition, many COs have the right. This includes the following:<\/p>\n