Quote:
the maximum sentence for adultery: confinement for one year, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and a dishonorable discharge. The maximum sentence for fraternization: confinement for two years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances and dismissal.
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As the resident liberal, this may suprise some people - but I think there are damned good reasons for this. The military is not like the factory or the office. If Johnny is humping Janey, who is married to Freddy, you've got a morale problem - and it's very likely that it won't be limited to Johnny and Freddy.
Also, most cases don't get near the kind of punishment described above - those are the maximum penalties that can be imposed at Courts-Martial. The majority of cases are handled under Article 15 (Captain's Mast/Office Hours) of the UCMJ as administrative matters, with much less serious penalties.
There are fairly specific guidlines in the Manual for Courts Martial about what can be considered violations of Articles 133 & 134. It's not quite as discretionary as it sounds. That being said, it is most often used when they want to "get" somebody and can't find anything else.
11-26-2003
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