The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps recently created the Wellness Program Director position as a part of the effort to expand holistic health. As the new Wellness Program Director, I learned within the first few months of taking on my role that military legal professionals, particularly those with experience in military justice, regularly handle sensitive and potentially traumatizing information.

Lawyers should be able to build and lead organizations. They should be able to develop the vision, the values, the priorities, the strategies, the people, the processes, the checks and balances, the resources, and the motivation. Team participation and team leadership are interconnected: leadership today is often not command and control but persuasion and motivation and empowerment of teams around a shared vision.

In twenty years of reading about leadership at the direction of supervisors and commanders, not one book or article I have come across has explored the nexus between confetti and leadership. Yet, I have found confetti—and celebration, in general—to be one of the greatest tools for leading subordinates, building positive cultures, and using celebration to enhance team-building.

News & Notes 2024 Issue 2 

I am neither a doctor nor a person with specialized medical training that informs the opinions I share in the following paragraphs. Therefore, if the views in this article contradict the medical advice of licensed medical providers, listen to your medical provider!

You have to lead men in war by requiring more from the individual than he thinks he can do. You have to lead men in war by bringing them along to endure and to display qualities of fortitude that are beyond the average man’s thought of what he should be expected to do.

Staff Sergeant (SSG) Jones embodied dedication.1 A star paralegal in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, she thrived in the fast-paced world of military justice as a special victims’ paralegal. While on a run at the end of a busy workday to decompress, she stepped in a pothole and twisted her ankle; it threatened to sideline her. The pain was excruciating, and doubt ensued. Could she bounce back and continue serving effectively?

Colonel (Retired) (COL (Ret.)) Fred Borch retired from his Army Civilian role on 17 November 2023, after almost eighteen years as the regimental historian of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. The following interview, conducted by the new regimental historian, Dr. Nick Roland, captures some of Fred’s thoughts about his time as a Soldier and Army Civilian, the history of the JAG Corps, and the value of history to the practice of military law. For an additional retrospective on his career, readers can consult The Quill & Sword podcast, FredTalks episode 19, A Farewell to Fred.

Every time an American or a potential partner nation refers to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “China,” the PRC is winning strategic legal warfare—or lawfare. Every quip and offhand reference about “China” unwittingly yields to PRC lawfare tactics and furthers the PRC’s agenda. Not only do we legitimize the PRC’s “One-China Principle,” but we also delegitimize strategic ambiguity while we otherwise strive to compete internationally. We are helping the PRC to win.

Constitutionally, Congress possesses the power of the purse. Congress provides budget authority to agencies to incur obligations and make expenditures through appropriations acts, which the President signs into law. These acts dictate the permissible purpose, period of availability, and amount of appropriations available to agencies to obligate and expend.