The essence of institutional strategy lies in making hard choices...An effective institutional strategy has multiple components and purposes. It needs to convey a broad, easily understandable outline of the long-term goals of the organization, supported by a detailed plan for how to achieve those goals. It should simultaneously project an inspiring vision for the future that provides its people purpose with enough concrete specificity to be actionable and produce tangible results.

View legal professionals across the force as they train, deploy, and operate in diverse environments around the world. From field exercises and airborne operations to multinational training and professional education, these images reflect the breadth of legal support provided to commanders and Soldiers at every level.

“What do you want to be?” “Airborne!” “What do you truly want to be?” “Super, duper Paratrooper!” “What are you right now?” “Dirty, nasty leg.” You learn this call and response on day one of the Army’s Airborne School. As I drove seven and a half hours from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Fort Benning, Georgia, I resolved to document my experiences and reflect upon the differences between those of Airborne School to those as a first-term trial counsel.

Captain (CPT) Jack Rozema’s story is one of hard work, discipline, and perseverance. In 2024, Jack qualified for the CrossFit2 Games—an annual competition where elite athletes from around the planet compete in a series of high-intensity workouts to determine the “Fittest on Earth.”3 Despite a somber atmosphere following the tragic loss of a fellow competitor on the first day, Jack completed all events and secured an impressive twenty-fifth place overall.4 Just a year later, Jack placed eighteenth at the 2025 Games in Albany, New York.

Exemplary leaders focus more on others than on themselves. Success in leadership, work, and life is—and has always been—a function of how well people work and play together. Success in leading is wholly dependent upon the capacity to build and sustain positive relationships. Any discussion of leadership must attend to the dynamics of this bond. Strategies, tactics, skills, and practices are empty without understanding the fundamental human aspirations that connect leaders and constituents.

Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution is an indispensable account of the Constitutional Convention, bringing illuminating detail to what was truly a second revolution. By presenting the Founding Fathers as characters in an epic saga, and exploring their personal and professional motivations, Richard Beeman creates a narrative that is both factually complete and refreshingly honest. The delegates were brilliant, yet flawed men. They established what is largely considered one of the greatest legal documents of all time, developing ideas of sovereignty that would underpin our democratic society and inspire governments around the world.

Since the summer of 1916, Reserve Component members of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps have left their civilian jobs, gathered around their friends and families, and announced their plans to volunteer for active duty. From the early years of World War I through support to the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, another World War, Cold War mobilizations, and decades of operations in the Middle East, citizen-Soldiers have raised their hands in defense of national security and the rule of law. In the summer of 1940, four National Guard and Reserve judge advocates (JAs) answered the call from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, said goodbye to loved ones for what was initially a single-year tour, and departed together from California for the Philippines. Three never returned. Theirs is a story of duty, professionalism, and our Regiment’s unyielding search for justice and our Nation’s dedication to bringing every fallen warrior home.

Few life events are more devastating than losing a spouse. For surviving military spouses, the days and weeks that follow are marked by profound grief, disorientation, and an overwhelming list of decisions. Some of those decisions can carry long-term impact, including financial impact—offering a path in the darkness toward stability, growth, and even financial legacy. One often overlooked opportunity is the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax (HEART) Act Conversion, which gives surviving military spouses the potential to fully fund their retirement accounts, invest for their children’s college, or both, overnight.

There is a common fallacy regarding the speedy-trial clock under Rule for Courts-Martial (RCM) 707. Many believe that for a requested period of pre-referral delay to be excluded from the RCM 707 period, the delay must be both: (1) approved by the convening authority or preliminary hearing officer (PHO), and (2) classified as “excludable” by the convening authority or PHO.

Military lawyers, including judge advocates (JAs), must be ready to advise leaders at echelon on the relevant ethical authorities when engaging with non-Federal entities (NFEs) in both official and personal capacities, while also understanding permissible levels of official support. Military leaders will act and engage with the community.