Paralegal education

opportunities for LNs

Accomplishments

of 2006

Re-discovering the

law of war

NSPS begins

Focus on 2020:

The military justice

career path

Navy udge dvocate eneral ’s Corps

January/February 2007
Re-discovering the Law of War: The Military 

Commissions Act of 2006..............................Page 8

Focus on JAG Corps 

2020: The Military 

Justice Career Path

Page 9

Legalman Rating Prepares to Launch New 

Course of Instruction................................Page 10

OJAG Implements National 

Security Personnel System

Page 12

On the cover

LN1(SW) Steve Mitchell is curently 

deployed to Afghanistan with Commander 

Joint Task Force 76. 

Mitchell is assigned to Naval Legal Service Office Southwest in San Diego, CA.

INSIDE 

JAG MAGAZINE

JAG Finishes Marine Corps Marathon 12th.....Page 14

Legalman Awarded Top Notary........................Page 15

JAG Corps Member Wins Gospel Dreams.......Page 16

JAG Corps 2020...............................................Page 17

JAG Awards......................................................Page 18

News and Notes................................................Page 19

Photos from the Fleet.......................................Page 20

JAG Corps Accomplishments for 2006......Page 4
Rear Admiral Joerg and I could not 

be more proud of you and your 

many accomplishments. Thank 

you for all you do each day.

BRUCE MacDONALD

Rear Admiral, JAGC, U.S. Navy

Judge Advocate General

A New Way to Communicate

Looking back over the past 

year, our JAG Corps has accomplished much for which we can 

all be proud. Whether deploying 

in support of the Global War on 

Terror, providing legal counsel and 

assistance at home and abroad, or 

transforming the way we do business, your performance has been 

truly extraordinary. Navy and Joint 

leaders everywhere understand and 

appreciate that the work you do is 

an indispensable part of their mission accomplishment. 

Over the past few years, a supportive culture of transformation in 

the Navy has allowed us to look at 

our own community and begin to 

change it in ways that will better 

meet the challenges of the future. 

You have read and heard much 

about JAG Corps 2020, our transformation strategy. We completed 

the plan and have already begun to 

execute it. Critical to its success 

is communicating our accomplishments, which is where the JAG 

Magazine comes in.

In this inaugural issue, you 

will read about our major accomplishments for 2006. Also in the 

January edition, you will find the 

details of many community-wide 

changes that will affect your working environment – from JAG Corps 

implementation of the National 

Security Personnel System, to the 

ongoing development of our military justice career 

path and Legalmen educational 

o p p o r t u n i t i e s . 

Finally, our JAG 

Corps continues 

to play a key role 

in the Global War 

on Terror throughout the world; the 

article discussing the Military 

Commissions Act 

describes one 

area in which we 

have prominently 

contributed to the 

GWOT. 

Look for future 

issues of the JAG 

Magazine with 

articles containing the latest news 

for our officer, enlisted and civilian 

communities. It is important for 

each of us to read about and understand our collective accomplishments as they continue to shape 

the Navy JAG Corps of the future. 

Please give us your feedback; we 

truly value your thoughts and suggestions.

Once again, Rear Admiral Houck, 
4

JAG Corps Accomplishments for 2006: 

Looking Ahead to 2007

From Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of 

Africa, and Guantanamo Bay, to courtrooms and senior staff offices, on the 

waterfront and at sea, our judge advocates, legalmen, and civilians serve as 

legal navigators to our Navy’s senior 

leaders, Sailors, and families. In 2006, 

our accomplishments were considerable and widespread. Most notably, we 

laid down our strategic course with the 

publication of JAG Corps 2020. The 

result of countless hours of work and 

the input of our entire JAG Community, JAG Corps 2020 charts the JAG 

Corps’ future as an integral part of the 

naval, joint, and combined forces. As 

we transform into a more agile and 

effective force, we will continue to 

provide timely, authoritative advice 

to our leaders, enabling them to complete their mission, both operationally 

and organizationally, while constantly 

examining ways to improve. We are 

already making strides toward our strategic objectives. The following are just 

some of our major accomplishments in 

each transformation focus area.

Operations

This past year, the Navy JAG Corps 

was engaged in the full spectrum of 

military operations, providing superb 

legal solutions in the naval, joint, and 

combined operational commands. The JAG Corps 

completed 115 individual 

augment (IA) assignments during 2006 (active 

and reserve, officer and 

enlisted), bringing our total 

IA deployments since the 

initiation of the GWOT 

to 278. The JAG Corps 

remained the only officer 

community in the Navy to 

provide an all-volunteer IA 

force, a testament to the dedication and 

commitment of our personnel. 

Many of our headquarters personnel provided invaluable support to 

the interagency process in fashioning 

the legislative response to the case of 

Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, resulting in the 

Military Commissions Act of 2006. In 

a truly critical and historic moment in 

U.S. history, Navy Judge Advocates 

ensured that our nation’s jurisprudence 

reflects an appropriate balance between 

national security interests and the individual rights of alien unlawful enemy 

combatants brought before military 

commissions.

Accountability

The American people expect, and 

deserve, the highest standards of personal and professional conduct from 

the Armed Forces, and the JAG Corps 

is charged with providing legal advice 

and solutions on all issues related to 

accountability. In 2006, we took important steps to increase our efficiency and 

effectiveness in this area. 

In the area of standards of conduct, 

we provided leadership to the SECNAV 

working group tasked to reinforce ethical standards as a foundation of exemplary conduct within the Department 

of the Navy (DON). In addition, we 

partnered with the Navy Office of General Counsel (NOGC) to create a collaborative website for ethics advice and 

to develop a specified training program 

for DON ethics counselors. 

We took steps to adjudicate the 

backlog of cases pending UCMJ Article 66 review by increasing the size 

of the Navy-Marine Corps Court of 

Criminal Appeals (NMCCA). The 

NMCCA doubled in size from nine to 

18 appellate judges. Five reserve military judges serving in Active Duty for 

Special Work (ADSW) assignments 

provided the majority of the “surge 

capability” that resulted in a significant 

increase in productivity. Seven ADSW 

reserve judge advocates also contributed by serving as personal law clerks 

to the appellate judges.

The process to create a military justice litigation career track is well underway. We drafted precept language 

directing that selection boards specifically recognize and consider military 

justice litigation expertise as a critical 

skill in our ranks. Selection board precepts incorporate this language beginning this promotion season. Our goal 

is to establish a cadre of specialists 

and detail them to billets that capitalize on their skills, both as litigators and 

as mentors for the next generation of 

litigation specialists. Concentrating our military justice expertise will allow the 

JAG Corps to realize efficiencies in this field, freeing up personnel to provide 

direct support to operational 

commanders.

Sailor Legal Readiness

The Navy’s most important asset is its people. 

In 2006, the JAG Corps 

“This past year, the Navy JAG Corps was 

engaged in the full spectrum of military 

operations, providing superb legal solutions 

in the naval, joint, and combined operational 

commands. The JAG Corps completed 115 

individual augment assignments during 2006, 

bringing our total IA deployments since the 

initiation of the GWOT to 278.”
5

ciary has also undergone significant 

reorganization in the past year by consolidating circuits. The net result has 

been that our Navy and our Marine 

Corps judges are working more closely 

together within the circuits. Navy and 

Marine Corps Reserve judges have 

made significant contributions in the 

past year, having served as the primary providers of judicial support for 

the Southern Circuit during the first 

half of the year and by providing judicial support to our deployed forces in 

Iraq.

We are establishing a new Article 6, 

UCMJ/Command Assessment process 

with revised inspection criteria that 

more closely align with JAG Corps 

2020 and focus on metrics-driven performance measures and leadership 

standards. In February 2007, we will 

conduct a pilot inspection at RLSO 

Japan and NLSO Pacific using the new 

process.

Active-Reserve Integration

During 2006, we continued to receive 

superb support from our Reserve component. More than 50 officer and 

enlisted personnel devoted their time, 

extensive knowledge, and professional 

expertise by accepting extended periods of active-duty time in support of 

the GWOT. Reserve personnel also 

readily adjusted their work schedules to 

provide “flex drilling” services during 

normal weekday business hours. Additionally, members of our Reserve team 

were fully engaged in JAG Corps 2020 

transformation, proposing a major 

reserve unit and billet restructuring to 

more closely integrate and align reserve 

units and personnel with supported 

commands to improve efficiencies in 

delivering quality, effective and timely 

legal services to the fleet.

ensured the legal readiness of military 

personnel and their families so that 

Sailors could properly focus on their 

mission. The Navy’s legal assistance 

offices provided 247,548 services 

and generated 159,880 documents for 

167,758 clients. Additionally, legal 

assistance personnel provided 1896 

preventive law and pre-deployment 

briefs for 36,954 Sailors and family 

members. 

As part of the Navy’s Electronic 

Tax Filing program, volunteers at 133 

tax centers filed 82,633 federal and 

state tax returns for more than 60,000 

clients. This resulted in expediting 

approximately $116 million in refunds 

and saving clients $8.9 million in tax 

preparation services.

We are thoroughly examining our 

legal assistance practice under JAG 

Corps 2020. A senior coordination 

group, comprised of Commanding Officers, from Naval Legal Service Offices 

(NLSOs) and Region Legal Service 

Office, Europe and Southwest Asia 

(RLSO EURSWA), and Code 16, Legal 

Assistance, is conducting a detailed 

analysis of our legal assistance practice 

and will soon provide detailed recommendations of essential legal assistance 

services that will most benefit our Sailors and their families. 

Navy Legal Readiness

In 2006, the JAG Corps provided 

legal solutions that ensured the Navy’s 

ability to organize, man, train, and 

mobilize military forces. We tried 

more than 450 courts-martial; adjudicated more than 18,000 claims; collected more than $22.5M in Medical 

Care Recovery Act (MCRA), Federal 

Claims Collection Act (FCCA), and 

Carrier Recovery claims; reviewed 

scores of selection board precepts and 

promotion cases; and rendered thousands of legal opinions throughout the 

Navy on an astounding range of issues.

The JAG Corps supported U.S. government attorneys in the federal courts 

and in framing, drafting, and reviewing 

policy, legislation, and regulatory matters affecting a broad spectrum of Navy 

personnel issues such as diversity programs for the future, the privilege protecting promotion board deliberations, 

and the Department’s recruiting, accession, promotion, and retention policies. 

We provided legal review and analysis for numerous changes to the Navy’s 

officer promotion process including 

transition to an All-Regular-Force, 

a new process for screening adverse 

information for flag promotion boards, 

and a zero-based review of Navy promotion board precepts. 

JAG Corps Organization

We established the RLSOs to provide 

quality legal services to fleet and installation commands worldwide. In the 

EURSWA theatre, we initiated a two-part 

pilot project. The Naval Legal Service 

Office (NLSO) transferred its legal assistance mission to the RLSO, establishing 

the NLSO as solely a provider of defense 

services. If this reorganization of missions is deemed successful, it could shape 

the future organization of the Naval Legal 

Service Command (NLSC).

The JAG Corps also reorganized and 

realigned claims processing with all 

offices now reporting to Claims & Tort 

Litigation Division (Code 15) at OJAG. 

Personnel Claims Act, Federal Torts 

Claims Act, and Federal Claims Collection Act functions are now centralized 

in Norfolk and the Personnel Claims 

Unit Norfolk and the Tort Claims Unit 

Norfolk are up and running. Three 

Medical Care Recovery Units remain 

in Norfolk, San Diego, and Pensacola, 

but are now linked directly to Code 

15. The result of this consolidation 

is a more cost-effective, efficient, and 

responsive claims practice. 

The Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judi-

“In 2006, the JAG Corps provided legal solutions that 

ensured the Navy’s ability to organize, man, train, and 

mobilize military forces.” 
6

the various skills, abilities, experiences, 

and perspectives of our workforce.

Professional Development

Through the Naval Justice School 

(NJS), we trained more than 10,000 

lawyers, PCO/PXO and other fleet leaders, paralegals, legal support personnel, 

and limited duty officers in 143 courses 

offered in 13 different geographic locations. A “just-in-time” training course 

was developed specifically for officer 

and enlisted IAs headed to Iraq. The 

course, offered in March and September 

2006, drew upon lessons learned and provided up-to-date information on TF-134 

operations, the political and insurgent 

landscape, the U.S. mission, and more 

practical issues such as handling classified information, Army familiarization, 

and recommended packing list. The 

Lieutenant Commander (Select) Leadership Training Symposium focused 

on practical training in areas including 

leadership philosophy and ethical decision-making, fitness report writing, and 

effective use of paralegals. 

The Legalmen (LN) Professional 

Development Program continued to 

take shape as we prepared for the first 

LN Accession Course at NJS in almost 

three years. We have partnered with 

Roger Williams University to establish 

four completely new, ABA-approved, 

courses: Ethics, Introduction to Law, 

Emerging Legal Technologies, and 

Research and Writing. These courses 

provide our LN Accession Course students ten face-to-face credit hours applicable to any ABA-approved paralegal 

course. Our NJS JAG officer 

staff will teach these courses 

in-house in conjunction with 

the newly-formed Paralegal Department. NJS also 

received approval to extend 

the LN Accession course from 

nine weeks to eleven weeks 

to accommodate the additional academic workload. 

The first class to benefit from 

these improvements will conJAG Corps Personnel Policy

We completed preparations to convert to the National Security Personnel 

System (NSPS) during 2006 in anticipation of the January 21, 2007 conversion. We trained our employees and 

supervisors (military and civilian) to 

ensure they understood their respective 

responsibilities under NSPS. Additionally, we developed standard criteria for 

use across the enterprise to ensure consistency in evaluating and rewarding 

employee performance. 

The competition to join the Navy JAG 

Corps remains remarkably keen – our 

overall officer accession selection rate 

was 21 percent. In 2006, we accessed 

67 new judge advocates of unparalleled 

quality. To keep pace with our competitors for legal talent, we funded a 

web-based JAG Corps recruiting video, 

increased our recruiting travel budget, 

and developed a new comprehensive 

instruction on JAG Corps recruitment 

and accessions boards. 

We continue to maintain demographic 

and experiential diversity in our Corps. 

Statistically, our demographics are 

already better than the overall Navy’s; 

however, true diversity encompasses 

more than race and gender related statistics. In order to develop and implement 

a comprehensive diversity strategy plan 

consistent with the Chief of Naval Operations’ Navy-wide diversity program, 

we appointed a new Special Assistant 

for Diversity last year. In 2007, we will 

implement a comprehensive plan to further enhance a culture of diversity in the 

JAG Corps that values and recognizes 

vene on April 16, 2007 and will graduate on June 29, 2007. We look forward 

to seeing these new accessions in the 

Fleet!

Those LNs who choose to work with 

Roger Williams to pursue their paralegal degree will also benefit from NJS’s 

efforts to obtain American Council on 

Education (ACE) college credit for all of 

our resident LN training courses. Roger 

Williams has been a tremendous partner 

in our education efforts, waiving application fees and lowering tuition costs for 

our LN students. Roger Williams’ faculty have also worked with Code 65 and 

members of the Transformation Team to 

develop long-distance education modules that can be accessed by all LNs, 

regardless of where they may be.

Also within the LN community, we 

have developed a comprehensive LN 

training module and Personnel Qualification Standards (PQS) continuum that 

use the Navy’s Work Space Trainer program, which requires all LNs to maintain 

knowledge, skills, and abilities commensurate with their pay grade. This 

program will enhance existing training 

by making relevant rate training available to all LNs via Navy Knowledge 

Online (NKO).

Knowledge Management and Information Technology

In late 2006, we completed Phase I 

of upgrading our court reporting system 

by purchasing more than $100,000 in 

state-of-the art digital court reporting 

equipment and training RLSO personnel in proper operation to facilitate the 

emailing of proceedings to transcription firms for expeditious transcription 

and processing. We will now pursue 

Phase II, the implementation of a system 

which will deliver the digitally recorded 

proceedings to a single source transcription service to further increase standardization. The ability to transfer records 

electronically will greatly enhance our 

ability to meet post trial processing 

guidelines.

We established Communities of Prac-

“In 2007, we will implement a 

comprehensive plan to further 

enhance a culture of diversity 

in the JAG Corps that values 

and recognizes the various 

skills, abilities, experiences, and 

perspectives of our workforce.”
7

tice (COPs) on NKO for all JAG 

Corps functional areas, including 

Military Justice, Legal Assistance, 

and Civil Law. Code 11 is committed to expanding fleet-wide awareness of common admiralty issues 

through Command Judge Advocate 

training and fleet-wide publication 

of Division newsletters via webbased COP. We also established the 

Ethics COP with NOGC as mentioned above and developed a joint 

JAG COP template for future collaborative initiatives with the other 

Department of Defense legal entities, uniformed and civilian.

The military justice COP is a true 

success story. The invaluable reach-back 

capability Code 20 provides through the 

military justice COP has already resulted 

in a nearly 500% increase in inquiries 

from the field and greatly expedited 

response time. Moreover, implementation of an NKO chat room (in which 

practitioners exchange ideas and share 

opinions on matters of importance to 

the community as a whole) has drawn 

enterprise-wide interest and participation. Recognizing that creating a truly 

vibrant community of practice requires 

us to tap into the experience of successful litigators not currently practicing in 

the area of military justice litigation, 

we have also established a cohort of 

experts, with specialized knowledge in 

areas such as capital litigation, litigation before members, and national security/classified material litigation. These 

experts are now available via the COP 

to provide guidance in their respective 

areas to attorneys in need of assistance. 

Facilities

It was a banner year for JAG Corps 

facilities improvements and it would not 

have been possible but for the proactive 

planning, diligence, professionalism, and 

teamwork of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG), NLSC, Regional 

Commanders, and Navy Facilities staff. 

We funded major design and construction 

initiatives to improve and upgrade courtroom security and functionality. With an 

eye on our present and future needs for 

reach-back communication and distance 

learning opportunities, we also invested 

in video teleconferencing capability for 

JAG headquarters, for the Naval Justice School and its detachments, and for 

“smart courtroom” complexes in Bremerton, San Diego, Great Lakes, Pensacola, 

Jacksonville, Norfolk, Washington DC, 

Yokosuka, and Pearl Harbor. 

End-of-year funding generously 

provided by our two Budget Submitting Offices, Field Support Activity and 

the Assistant for Administration for the 

Under Secretary of the Navy, facilitated 

our ability to accomplish all of these 

initiatives. In total, we wisely planned 

for and invested over $3.7 million in 

end-of-year funds, an all-time record for 

our Corps. Additionally, we are building a new $14 million JAG Corps Legal 

Center of Excellence at the Washington 

Navy Yard. This state-of-the-art building will house NMCCA, the Navy and 

Marine Corps Trial Judiciary Activity, Appellate Government, Appellate 

Defense, and their supporting codes, as 

well as the headquarters elements for 

RLSO Naval District Washington and 

NLSO North Central. 

Performance Measures

Meeting another JAG Corps 2020 strategic goal, we developed and instituted 

the Case Management and Tracking Information System (CMTIS) 

that merges several existing data 

collection tools into a single JAG 

Enterprise database. CMTIS collects data in all areas of our trial and 

defense practice, and includes data 

modules that collect productivity 

data for Legal Assistance, Personal 

Representation, Physical Evaluation Boards, and legal services provided by NLSC personnel and staff 

judge advocates. CMTIS data collection allows us to understand the 

impact of our services, our level of 

effectiveness and efficiency, and 

our ability to sustain those services 

consistent with the needs of our nation 

and our Navy. This system is a critical 

component of an effects-based culture 

that will tabulate the metrics from which 

we will draw many of our performance 

measures of success.

Efficiency

Efforts are underway to understand the 

cost of the services we provide. Effective 

cost accounting will allow us to optimize 

our processes, which will lead to greater 

efficiencies. A critical aspect of the 

cost accounting will be achieved using 

CMTIS. We have also embarked on an 

administrative re-engineering effort that 

will make our administrative, travel and 

purchase modules more efficient. 

Conclusion

These are only some of our JAG Corps’ 

outstanding achievements for 2006. As 

we move forward into 2007 and beyond, 

we anticipate that we will increasingly 

be involved in every aspect of joint military operations, including major combat 

operations at sea and ashore, asymmetric warfare, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, homeland defense, 

homeland security and defense support 

of civil authorities operations. We are 

proud of your noteworthy accomplishments in 2006 and are excited to see you 

already engaged in executing our goals 

for 2007! 

“As we move forward into 2007 

and beyond, we anticipate that 

we will increasingly be involved 

in every aspect of joint military 

operations, including major combat 

operations at sea and ashore, 

asymmetric warfare, humanitarian 

and peacekeeping operations, 

homeland defense, homeland 

security and defense support of 

civil authorities operations. ”
8

On Oct. 17, the President 

signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006, establishing for the first time since 9-11, a 

clear and unified position within the 

Executive branch that the law of war 

applies to our treatment of unlawful 

enemy combatants captured during 

armed conflict. 

The Act has been unfairly 

criticized by some for denying 

Constitutional rights to detainees, 

and inaccurately hailed by others 

for permitting the continuation of 

the Central Intelligence Agency’s 

secret detention and interrogation 

program. The Act, of course, does 

neither; the Congress and President 

simply aligned our domestic laws 

with the law of war, including: 

-- Endorsement of the central 

finding of the Supreme Court 

in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that 

Common Article 3 of the Geneva 

Conventions of 1949 applies, at 

a minimum, to the treatment of 

unlawful enemy combatants. 

Re-discovering the Law of War: 

The Military Commissions Act of 2006

-- Clarification regarding Common Article 3 that only grave 

breaches rise to the level of war 

crimes. This means, for example, 

that torture and rape are war 

crimes, but verbally insulting a 

detainee is not.

-- Requirement that military commissions provide unlawful enemy 

combatants judicial guaran-tees 

recognized as indispensable by 

civilized peoples. This includes, in 

part, the right to counsel, protection 

against self-incrimination at trial, 

an independent and impartial judge 

who rules on all issues of law, 

prohibition against introduction 

of evidence outside the presence 

of the accused, exclusion of 

unlawfully coerced statements, 

and provision to the accused of 

exculpatory evidence. 

The Act confirms the President’s 

authority to interpret the meaning 

and application of the Geneva 

Conventions (beyond the terms of 

the Act itself), to set standards higher 

than Geneva, and to promulgate 

administrative regulations for 

violations falling short of war crimes. 

However, the Act also requires that 

the President formally publish such 

interpretations and administrative 

regulations via an Executive Order 

in the Federal Register. 

The Act also strips federal courts 

of jurisdiction to consider writs of 

Habeas Corpus filed by or on behalf 

of unlawful enemy combatants 

(except for limited access to the D.C. 

Circuit Court of Appeals per the 

Detainee Treatment Act of 2005), 

and precludes any person from 

invoking the Geneva Conventions 

as a source of any right enforceable 

in U.S. courts. 

In summary, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 accomplishes 

three major objectives: it requires the 

Executive to apply Common Article 

3, at a minimum, to the treatment 

of unlawful enemy combatants 

captured during armed conflict, it 

clarifies domestic criminal law to 

comport with the international rule 

that only the most serious violations 

of Common Article 3 rise to the 

level of war crimes, and it prevents 

unlawful enemy combatants from 

using federal courts to litigate 

the terms and conditions of their 

detention. 

By Capt. Patrick Neher

OJAG International & Operational Law

“The Military Commissions Act of 2006 accomplishes three major objectives: 

(1) it requires the Executive to apply Common Article 3, at a minimum, to the treatment of 

unlawful enemy combatants captured during armed conflict;

(2) it clarifies domestic criminal law to comport with the international rule that only the 

most serious violations of Common Article 3 rise to the level of war crimes; and 

(3) it prevents unlawful enemy combatants from using federal courts to litigate the terms 

and conditions of their detention.”

-- Capt. Patrick Neher
9

Our JAG Corps 2020 vision 

declares that the JAG Corps 

would create a career track that 

would enable selected judge advocates 

to specialize in military justice 

litigation. The goal of the track is to 

improve the quality of military justice 

litigation by keeping experienced and 

effective counsel in the courtroom, 

and then continuing to detail them to 

increasingly senior military justice and 

military-justice-related billets. The 

benefit of this longevity and increased 

expertise will be to improve the 

efficiency with which courts-martial are 

conducted and reviewed, and -- perhaps 

even more importantly -- to provide 

expert supervision and mentoring for 

new counsel. 

Sounds great, but didn’t we hear that 

same idea back in 1995 or so? Maybe 

you did, but what you did not see before 

was an actual execution of the plan. 

On Oct. 24, the execution began 

with the achievement of the first major 

initiative in the Military Justice Litigation 

Career Track of the Accountability 

Transformation Focus Area in JAG 

Corps 2020. The Secretary of the 

Navy approved precept language 

for this coming year’s (FY-08 cycle) 

active-duty promotion boards that 

recognizes our desire to build a strong 

cadre of military justice litigators 

and experts throughout our ranks.

While the language does not create 

quotas, it does directly emphasize 

to selection board members that the 

JAG Corps and the Navy recognize 

the vital importance of military 

justice litigation expertise.

The significance of this first step cannot 

be understated. Historically, counsel 

with special experience in military justice 

litigation have been disadvantaged in 

promotion boards because their career 

paths have precluded opportunities for a 

wide variety of assignments – variety on 

which promotion boards have typically 

placed a premium. Since litigation skills 

tend to be perishable over time, litigation 

prowess and agility has often come at the 

price of promotion. At the same time, 

junior counsel, fearing the historic price 

associated with building a resume of solid 

litigation excellence, have moved to other 

areas of practice or have left the JAG 

Corps entirely. The new precept language 

addresses these concerns by recognizing 

the need to grow an experienced cadre of 

military justice litigators who, by virtue 

of their skill and experience, will be able 

to handle more cases, and those of greater 

complexity, with fewer overall people. In 

other words, the goal is precept language 

that fosters an increase in the litigation 

experience for those who have “the right 

stuff.”

Ensuring that promotion selection 

boards give favorable consideration 

to critical military justice litigation 

assignments is crucial to developing and 

maintaining a military justice litigation 

career path, since the career path will be 

a path to nowhere without that assurance. 

This precept language is exactly what 

the JAG Corps is talking about when 

stressing that the key to this plan is in the 

execution.

This is only the first step. Yet to come 

is the instruction that formally establishes 

the military justice litigation career path 

and the development of a military justice 

litigation professional subspecialty code 

(P-code). By the way, in case you are 

still one of the “wait and see” types, 

the waiting should not be long. The 

JAGINST implementing the career path 

has been drafted and is being routed for 

coordination, and the request for the 

creation of the new 1202 military justice 

litigation S-code has been submitted to 

the Bureau.

My direction since arriving in 

Washington has been to help fix military 

justice litigation. As a career-long 

pedestrian on what has historically been 

the litigation-path-to-nowhere, I can say 

that the concrete steps taken to fulfill 

the promise to the community means it 

is time to start believing that this plan is 

different.

What’s next? The real proof in the 

success of these plans will be realized in 

the out-years through the detailing phase 

of plan execution. As we begin to 

grow our cadre of military justice 

litigation experts, and those experts 

grow in seniority, the expectation 

is that our litigation specialists will 

begin moving into leadership billets 

throughout the courts (trial and 

appellate), trial and defense offices, 

and litigation support offices. For 

now, believe it or not, the components 

of the plan actually are rapidly being 

put in place, and this is a promise you 

can rest assured will be kept!

Focus on JAG Corps 2020: 

The Military Justice Career Path

By Capt. Chris Reismeier

OJAG Criminal Law Division

The military justice career path will promote 

expertise in the courtroom
10

I

n April 2007, the Legalman community 

and Naval Justice School (NJS) will 

launch the inaugural Legalman (LN) 

Paralegal Accession course. 

After tremendous efforts by the NJS 

staff, we are now ready to train and 

educate LN conversions in a new and 

innovative way. Applauded by Master 

Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe 

Campa, the recently designed course will 

bring education to our Legalmen in a 

manner never before seen in the Navy. 

In April 2005, after discussions with 

Pat Lyons of Roger Williams University 

(RWU), a partnership with the university 

was formed that brought their schoolhouse 

to us. After looking at many different 

methods to bring paralegal education to 

the Navy, an agreement was reached by 

which we would install four paralegal 

courses into the LN accession course at 

the Naval Justice School. These four 

courses are Introduction to Law, Ethics, 

Legal Research and Writing and Emerging 

Legal Technologies. These courses are 

significant because the American Bar 

Association requires that at least 10 

semester hours be taught in a classroom 

environment before they consider the 

program eligible for approval.

In November 2004, Rear Adm. 

Bruce MacDonald and I met for 

the first time and discussed the 

importance of education within the 

Legalman rating. We both felt that 

this direction was needed if we were 

to make the needed contributions to 

the JAG Corps and the Navy’s future. 

A critical piece in our review saw 

the LN rating teetering on the edge of 

merger with an administrative rating 

Legalman Rating Prepares to 

Launch New Course of Instruction

group made up of YN, CTA and RP 

ratings. Clearly, our vision of paralegal 

education and the future roles and 

responsibilities of our Legalmen were 

key to avoiding this merger. 

The paralegal education plan may just 

be the first of future Legalman education 

initiatives as we look at the possibilities of 

allowing legal specialists to compete for 

the Law Education Program, as well as 

possible Masters Paralegal programs for 

some of our senior enlisted. Additionally, 

we have had some discussion with Naval 

Justice School about converting current 

NJS LN courses to RWU type courses for 

credit as well as developing new courses 

that might allow current LNs to enroll to 

gain college credit. For now, our focus 

is on the paralegal education program 

and setting career milestones for our new 

Legalmen.

Earlier this year, Rear Adm. MacDonald 

and I both agreed that we could not put 

this burden on our current Legalmen. 

The reasons are many but they primarily 

focused on the following:

* Many of our current Legalmen 

have already begun pursuit of degrees 

in other fields of study such as Business, 

Human Resource Management, and 

Criminal Justice.

* Currently, we could not come up 

with a way to gain the 10 semester hours 

of face-to-face instruction with RWU, an 

ABA requirement. As mentioned earlier, 

there are discussions with NJS to develop 

such a course or courses. 

We are strongly encouraging all of our 

current Legalmen to look at paralegal 

education as their course of study and have 

invited all Legalmen to seek assistance 

through Roger Williams University.

Focusing on our new conversions will 

be a priority beginning in April 2007. We 

have requested permission from Naval 

Education and Training Command to 

implement more aggressive education 

requirements for our new Legalmen. 

Those requirements are:

* All E-5 Legalmen must complete 

requirements for their A.A. degree in 

paralegal studies before they are eligible 

to compete for E-6 commencing in the 

2009 advancement cycle; and

* All E-7 Legalmen must complete 

requirements for their B.A. degree in 

paralegal studies before they are eligible 

to compete for E-8 commencing with the 

FY-2014 selection board.

The National Federation of Paralegal 

Associations defines a paralegal as 

“a person who is qualified through 

education, training or work experience 

to perform substantive legal work that 

requires knowledge of legal concepts 

and is customarily, but not exclusively, 

performed by a lawyer.” 

Education is an important pillar that 

the Legalman community has been 

missing throughout its existence as 

a Navy rating. As we move into the 

future, the legal landscape will change 

and we, too, must be able to adapt to 

the changing role of the JAG Corps and 

the Navy. We believe that education is an 

important tool in our toolbox of success. 

By LNCM(SW/AW) 

Stephen DiStefano

Senior Enlisted Advisor
11

By Michael McLellan

NAVPERSCOM Public Affairs

Queries received at the Education 

Program and Services Branch office 

at Navy Personnel Command suggest that many Sailors aren’t aware 

that if they are enrolled in the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) and have 

completed 24 months of active duty, 

they may begin to use their MGIB 

benefits. In fact, active-duty Sailors 

can use regular MGIB payments or 

MGIB Top-Up (used with tuition 

assistance) when taking advantage 

of their education benefits.

The current MGIB full-time rate 

is $900 per month for 36 months of 

benefits. While members may use 

MGIB after 24 months active duty, 

they are not fully eligible until they 

complete 36 full months of active 

duty. In other words, if for some 

reason a Sailor who has begun using 

their benefits after 24 months is discharged prior to reaching 36 months 

of active duty, he is liable to pay 

back the government.

Sailors who choose to use these 

benefits can file claims to the 

Department of Veterans Affairs 

(DVA) by submitting a VA Form 

22-1990 (available on DVA’s website at www.vba.va.gov/pubs/educationforms.htm) by mail or online. 

MGIB Top-Up benefits TA claims 

are processed by an initial submission of the VA Form 22-1990, along 

with a copy of the completed TA 

form clearly marked “Top-Up.” 

Subsequent Top-Up claims require 

only a copy of the completed TA 

form marked “Top-Up.” No school 

certification is required. More information is available on VA’s website 

at www.vba.va.gov.

GI Bill for 

Active-Duty

By Joy Samsel, Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs

To assist Sailors in their pursuit of higher educational goals, as well as certifications and qualifications associated with their Navy career field, the U.S. Navy is 

raising the limits on Tuition Assistance (TA) available to all active-duty members 

(officer and enlisted). 

Sailors are now eligible for 100 percent of tuition costs, up to $250 per semester hour (SH) and up to 16 SH per fiscal year, an increase from the previous limit 

of 12 SH. 

“Sailors in today’s Navy need to be highly motivated and educated professionals,” said Vice Adm. Kevin Moran, commander, Naval Education and Training 

Command (NETC). “The critical thinking skills developed through higher education are essential elements to the success of Sailors in the 21st century. It is our job 

to provide the opportunities for these highly valued and committed individuals to 

grow and develop in the Navy. All our programs must be responsive to this new 

Sailor, including Voluntary Education.” 

According to a Navy message sent to the fleet June 9 (NAVADMIN 166/06), 

TA will remain at 16 SH throughout FY-07 and use will be closely monitored 

by NETC. If the rate of overall TA expenditures creates a danger of running out 

of funding prior to the end of the fiscal year, NETC may impose management 

controls and priorities to ensure that academic planning is not disrupted. Funding 

controls may include limiting TA requests over 12 SH to courses tied directly to 

degree completion.

“In addition to TA, the Navy College Program has two other significant programs to help Sailors earn a college degree,” explained NETC Force Master Chief 

(SW/AW/SS/PJ) Mike McCalip. “A visit to the local Navy College Office (NCO) 

is a logical first step for Sailors to learn about what is available to them, from 

the wide variety of college level examinations to the Navy College Program for 

Afloat Education (NCPACE). The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Examination Program, the College Level Examination 

Program (CLEP) and the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) program 

offer testing opportunities that can help Sailors to take advantage of knowledge 

they already have and accelerate their progress toward degree completion.” 

McCalip said through these programs and others, Sailors can take tests in a 

variety of subjects and receive recommended college credit for each test successfully completed. 

There are also several college admission tests given through the NCOs, including the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and the American College Test (ACT) 

Assessment Program. The Graduate Record Exam may be taken at certain testing 

sites off-base and DANTES will reimburse the Sailor for the cost of the test. The 

Sailor must personally fund the test administration fee.

NCPACE is an important program for Sailors afloat, offering both academic 

skills and college (undergraduate and graduate) courses. McCalip said, “NCPACE 

gives Sailors the opportunity to experience challenging education while on sea 

duty assignments preparing them for personal and professional growth.” He added 

that Sailors should take advantage of this program to enable them to continue to 

progress toward degree completion.

Navy Raises Tuition 

Assistance Limits for Sailors
12

Beginning this month, January 

2007 (Spiral 1.2), the Office 

of the Judge Advocate General 

(OJAG) will begin a new system of 

personnel management known as 

National Security Personnel System 

(NSPS). Except for the Naval 

Justice School (NJS), Naval Legal 

Service Command (NLSC) activities 

will convert to NSPS in March/April 

2007 (Spiral 1.3). NSPS replaces the 

General Schedule (GS) system with 

a system focused on compensating 

employees based on 

performance. Both Rear 

Adm. Bruce MacDonald 

and Rear Adm. James W. 

Houck are deeply engaged 

in implementing NSPS to 

ensure improvement in 

personnel management 

across the JAGC Enterprise. 

In an Oct. 5 JAGINFO email, they stressed that 

NSPS is vital to the future 

of our JAG Corps. As 

OJAG and NLSC adopt 

this paradigm shift in 

personnel management, 

proper training and job 

objective construction are 

of the utmost importance to 

our managers/supervisors 

and civilian personnel. 

Additionally, we plan to 

conduct a test period for 

this system to better prepare 

for the special situations and 

OJAG Implements National Security 

Personnel System in January

Naval Legal Service Command to follow March 18, 2007

concerns inherent in an organization 

of our size. 

Background

NSPS is a new way of doing 

business for civilian employees that 

will tie employee compensation to 

job performance in a proportional 

rate. The greater the contribution 

of the employee to achieving his/

her job objectives, the greater the 

compensation afforded to that 

employee. 

NSPS cornerstones are identified 

as accountability of the employee, 

results garnered by the employee, and 

flexibility of employment. Because 

the employee’s pay increases will be 

based upon the employee’s individual 

contribution and achievement, the 

employee is personally responsible 

for his/her own success or failure. 

This will empower the employee to 

control his/her own future and make 

the employee accountable for his/her 

own growth within an organization. 

NSPS also focuses an employee’s 

efforts toward specific outputs 

or results to meet established job 

objectives in a measurable way. This 

is opposed to a discussion about the 

actual tasks that might comprise a 

result. This will allow an employee 

to recognize his/her level of personal 

success, make him/her aware of 

possible areas for improvement, and 

By Amy Stevens

OJAG Fiscal and Resources 

Services

Dan Barnes, Military Personnel, and Rodney Perry, Knowledge and Information Services, discuss the importance of job objectives at the Washington Navy Yard.
13

seek the most efficient way 

to complete the objective. 

Additionally, the use of pay 

bands in NSPS provides 

increased flexibility to 

assign work. These key 

changes will serve as the 

backdrop to NSPS as OJAG 

and NLSC make the transformation. 

Training

To prepare for NSPS 

implementation, a three-fold training 

plan was established for all civilian 

employees and managers/supervisors 

of civilian employees. 

1. NSPS 101 – This online course 

takes 45-60 minutes and may be found 

at http://cpms.osd.mil/nsps/training.

html. It is a basic overview of NSPS 

design and concepts to introduce the 

subject. Those who complete the 

course will have a general, working 

knowledge about NSPS.

2. Human Resource (HR) 

Elements – This is a three to four 

hour classroom course that speaks 

to specific human resource issues in 

NSPS (promotion, reassignments, 

pay banding, etc). Employees and 

manager/supervisors will learn what 

employment protections are still in 

place and which protections (if any) 

have been modified. 

3. Performance Management 

– This is an eight hour classroom 

course for employees and a 16 hour 

classroom course for supervisors/

managers. Main topics are the 

functions and make-up of the NSPS 

system. The audience will learn 

the composition of a well-written 

job objective, the operation of the 

rating system, and the importance of 

communication between employee 

and supervisor. 

In addition to these established 

training courses, OJAG developed an 

OJAG-oriented NSPS informational 

class called “HR Essentials.” By 

combining the highlights of the 

three required courses and editing 

in JAG-specific components (e.g., 

pay pool composition and panel 

members, OJAG strategic plan, 

etc.), this two hour course focuses 

the employee’s and manager/

supervisor’s knowledge of NSPS to 

JAG-themed goals. Each activity 

has been responsible for delivering 

HR Essentials locally. 

At the close of December 2006, 

OJAG personnel in Spiral 1.2 

completed approximately 89 percent 

of required training while NLSC 

personnel in Spiral 1.3 completed 

approximately 56 percent of required 

training. If you have questions 

regarding NSPS training, contact 

your chain-of-command or Amy 

Stevens at 202-685-5286. 

Job Objectives

Job objectives are the basis of the 

success of NSPS implementation. 

Our focus has been to create a matrix 

of job objective templates that can 

be used across the JAGC Enterprise. 

Beginning in August 2006, various 

groups met to discuss commonalities 

in positions within various OJAG/

NLSC offices. The group proceeded 

to write template job objectives with 

some fundamental, OJAG approved 

ideals in mind — each job objective 

should incorporate efficiency, 

timeliness, and quality of product 

standards. After the initial brainstorming sessions, a draft objectives 

matrix was disseminated to each 

activity to receive feedback and 

suggestions for improvement from 

both employees and supervisors. The 

matrix was finalized in preparation 

for a test period of NSPS 

implementation prior to 

conversion. 

Test Period of NSPS

NLSC is conducting a 

test period of NSPS and 

OJAG has completed this 

test period. During the test period, 

we will ask managers/supervisors 

and employees to identify any 

areas of concern within the new 

system. The test NSPS performance 

appraisals will be done concurrent 

with the existing system until NSPS 

conversion. After reviewing the 

job objectives matrix, supervisors 

will discuss with their employees 

what job objectives should be used 

for the employee’s position and 

establish the performance plan and 

job objectives for the employee. 

At the end of the test period, 

managers/supervisors will rate 

employees on their performance based 

upon the employee’s accomplished 

assigned job objectives. They will 

note any peculiarities that occur 

and provide feedback (positive 

or negative) to OJAG and NLSC 

so the matrix can be re-evaluated 

before final conversion to NSPS. 

We expect that this test period will 

help us identify weaknesses and/or 

strengths of the job objectives matrix 

and assist us in resolving any issues 

prior to actual NSPS conversion.

OJAG and NLSC will see 

many changes to the personnel 

management structure as part of the 

conversion to NSPS. These changes 

will allow more accountability and 

flexibility. As these changes reach 

us, we embrace the ability to excel 

within the new management system 

and reward employees as deserved. 

For more information regarding 

NSPS, please visit http://www.cpms.

osd.mil/nsps/ to access references 

and tutorials for this management 

system. 

“Employees will have a greater opportunity to 

affect their pay through excellent performance 

and contribution towards the mission of the 

JAG Corps.”

-- Joyce Sherwood, OJAG Fiscal and Resource Services
14

Navy Lt. Kim McCann, assigned to MNC-I OSJA in Camp Victory, Baghdad, 

ran the Baghdad Marathon in the International Zone with a joint group of runners 

from OSJA Nov. 11. The 26.1 mile race winded its way through the International

Zone including under the Saddam ceremonial swords/parade field.

LNC Brian Minock from TF-134 Legal/CCCI ran as well.

“He probably would have won it but he followed the race car that was supposed 

to lead the runners through the entire race,” said Capt. Bruce MacKenzie, TF-134. 

“The car got lost and Chief Minock ran a few extra miles. He finished well.” 

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, 

DC -- Lt. Phil Reutlinger took first 

place for the Navy and 12th place 

overall in the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 29. Also racing that day 

was his newlywed wife, Becky 

Reutlinger. 

Phil Reutlinger’s time was 2:33:26 

and Becky Reutlinger finished in 

3:33:17. 

Phil Reutlinger is a member of 

the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps and is stationed at 

Naval Legal Services Office North 

Central located on the Washington 

Navy Yard. He is also on the AllNavy Marathon Team. 

The couple’s training mainly consisted of “a lot of running,” Phil 

Reutlinger stated. Phil Reutlinger 

ran 85 to 110 miles a week while 

he kept up a demanding Navy work 

schedule. Phil Reutlinger found a 

parallel in his marathon training and 

his professional legal career in the 

Navy. He explained both took a lot 

of persistence.

“Things don’t happen in running 

or in a law career quickly. It takes 

lots of training miles to have a great 

26 mile race. It also takes a lot of 

studying and work to become a great 

lawyer,” said Phil Reutlinger. 

 Phil Reutlinger praised the Navy 

for allowing him the flexibility to 

accomplish his running goals. “My 

command wants me to achieve the 

goals I have set for myself,” said 

Phil Reutlinger. “They are willing 

to work with me to accomplish these 

goals. My command allows me to 

schedule my training runs around 

work. I know this would not have 

been possible if I were working as a 

civilian attorney.” 

Navy JAG Finishes Marine 

Corps Marathon 12th Overall

Becky and Phil Reutlinger were 

married in July 2006 and started a 

newlywed tradition of special running dates. Once or twice a week, 

Phil and Becky Reutlinger go on 

training runs together. These consist of either a short run together 

as recovery from a harder morning run, or a speed workout on the 

track where they race each other. To 

make the speed workout competition 

fair, the races are handicapped. For 

instance, Phil Reutlinger will run a 

mile and Becky Reutlinger will run 

3⁄4 of a mile. 

“Running together is beneficial 

to both of our training programs 

because we push each other and it is 

our unique way of getting extra time 

together,” said Becky Reutlinger.

As to the future, Becky Reutlinger 

added “we have not decided on what 

the next race will be for the two 

of us. Right now the goal is a fast 

recovery and then looking to some 

races in the spring.” 

Running a Marathon in Baghdad
15

Navy Legalman Honored With Top Notary Award

YOKOSUKA, JAPAN -- The 

National Notary Association (NNA) has 

selected Legalman First Class Edward 

Holland as a 2007 Notary of the Year 

Special Honoree, an award given annually to four American Notary Publics 

for dedicated, exemplary, and unsurpassed service to a community.

Holland is a senior paralegal stationed at Naval Legal Service Office 

(NLSO) Pacific located in Yokosuka, 

Japan. 

The NNA lauded Holland for providing more than 6,888 notary services 

since March 2005 to Navy members, 

their families and civilian employees. 

Holland’s “efforts have had a 

direct impact on our nation’s forwarddeployed readiness in fighting the 

global war on terrorism,” said Timothy 

Reiniger, executive director for NNA.

An NNA committee selects notaries who “best exemplify the ideals of 

integrity, impartiality, competence and 

public service in their critical role as 

America’s front line of defense against 

identity theft and document fraud,” 

according to a letter sent by NNA to 

Holland. 

“In an overseas environment, [Holland’s] willingness to be available as a 

notary at any hour has provided a great 

service to Sailors, families and others 

serving with our forces,” said Rear 

Adm. James W. Houck, Commander 

Naval Legal Service Command.

Notary public is one of many services provided by NLSC to guarantee 

Sailor Legal Readiness, which ensures 

Sailors can deploy and operate without concern about unresolved personal 

legal matters. 

“Holland is a superb paralegal and 

Sailor, and this recognition acknowledges his individual outstanding service and in many ways, embodies the 

National Notary Association’s appreciation for the outstanding service all of 

our legalmen provide everyday,” said 

Capt. Jon Fink, Commanding Officer 

for NLSO Pacific. 

Holland will be featured in an upcoming issue of “The National Notary” 

and will be honored at the 2007 NNA 

Annual Conference for his award.

“I am not deserving of all the praise 

but I am happy to say that the news made 

my wife and my family very happy,” 

said Holland. “I am honored; but for 

now I am focused on the mission.”

LN1 Edward Holland
16

Jermaine Pressley, an office automation 

assistant in OJAG Code 65, won the local 

Gospel Dream competition in the District of 

Columbia July 29. He went on to represent 

the District in the semi-finals in Nashville, 

TN. He answered a few questions about 

his experience and how he started singing.

Tell us how you started singing.

Pressley: I was around seven or eight 

years old when I went with my aunt to 

her church choir’s anniversary in South 

Carolina. It was one of those old country 

churches where you didn’t have a piano 

player, drums, or any other musician. 

You kept rhythm and time by rocking and 

patting your feet on a wooden floor that 

sounded like an army marching. They 

used what they had and sang a song by the 

late Reverend Julius Cheeks “Jesus Please 

Don’t Drive Me Away!” 

I liked what I heard and I wanted to sing 

like them. So when I got home, I asked [my 

grandmother] about the song. She told me 

that she had the entire album on an 8-track 

tape. I can remember playing that tape until 

the wee hours of the morning. Before the 

night’s end, I had learned half of the songs 

on the album. From listening to that tape 

and hearing the sound and music, I knew 

right then that I wanted to sing gospel. I 

have been singing ever since! 

How did you find out about the 

competition?

Pressley: I actually stumbled on the 

competition by accident. A friend of mine 

is a friend of Dave Hollister [former lead 

singer of the R&B group Black Street] 

and his #1 fan. My friend sent me an email link to the Gospel Music Channel that 

featured an article on Dave as well as songs 

on his new album. As I was reading the 

article, the flash page was scrolling through 

different segments. That’s when I saw the 

competition page entitled: “Gospel Dream 

2006 Competition.” Just out of curiosity, 

I wanted to see where the auditions were 

being held. DC was the last stop and I 

signed up right then and 

there. 

What did you sing in the 

competitions?

Pressley: I sang an old 

Thomas Whitfield song, 

“We Need a Word from the 

Lord!” I had a minute and 

a half to perform the 1st 

verse and chorus! WOW! 

Talk about pressure! 

What was it like to win?

Pressley: Winning and 

being chosen as a semifinalist to represent the 

District was unbelievable 

because there is definitely 

some serious talent 

here in the District and 

surrounding area. So to 

be chosen over some very 

outstanding singers is really 

an honor and a very humbling experience. 

The DC metropolitan area has been home 

for me all my life and it was very exciting 

to represent DC in the competition in the 

semi-finals in Nashville, TN.

What happened there?

Pressley: Before we got to Nashville 

we were told to pick five songs from their 

song list and then two more songs that we 

wanted to sing. [We were told] when we 

arrived in Nashville, it would be revealed 

to us what song we would sing for the 

competition. The song that was chosen 

for me wasn’t from my song list. I had to 

learn it in 30 minutes and remember the 

key before Wednesday night’s competition. 

Well.... I didn’t make the finals but it was 

an unforgettable experience. 

How did your JAG colleagues react to 

your fame?

Pressley: They were proud of me and 

glad of my success. Many of them didn’t 

know that I could sing. I wanted to keep 

a low profile here at JAG. When I worked 

at NAVSEA, I would sing for everything. 

The national anthem at picnics, award 

ceremonies, and retirements. So I just 

wanted to come in and do my job and be 

Jermaine for a change and not Jermaine the 

singer.

What draws you to this type of music?

Pressley: First of all, I love all kinds 

of music -- R&B, hip-hop, country, rock, 

and classical. Gospel music is a music that 

embraces the listener and no matter what 

you’re going through or what you’re feeling, 

there’s something about gospel music that 

will pick you up or help you to deal with 

your situation and/or circumstance. 

You can always find strength and inner 

peace from gospel music. If I’m going to 

sing anything, I want to sing something that 

will help minister to someone. This is what 

draws me to gospel music... the effect that 

it has on the listener. You couldn’t hear 

a song and not be impacted some kind of 

way!

JAG Corps member 

wins local Gospel 

Dream competition

Jermaine Pressley, office automation assistant in Code 65 and 

winner of local Gospel Dream competition
17

Feedback and Dialogue are essential

Since rolling-out CMTIS on Oct. 10, almost 1,300 active and reserve judge advocates, legalmen and civilians 

have logged on the system and have begun working through the various data collection processes. Since roll-out, 

the CMTIS team has received excellent feedback. Based on your valuable recommendations, they have made 

numerous enhancements, including: the capability that will allow paralegals and legalmen to perform duties within 

the Courts-Martial, Legal Assistance and PersRep modules; implementation of a pop-up if required data is missing; 

removal of mandatory input for SSN and DOB in Legal Assistance; more than 999 pages may now be entered as 

part of a ROT; and a New Cases Docketed Report.

In addition, the Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) has visited our commands and SJAs in the Southwest and 

Pacific (Hawaii). CNA will be traveling to Naples in February on a similar trip. In the Pacific AOR, CNA found that 

the effort to incorporate CMTIS in individuals’ daily routines was outstanding, with an overall positive response 

from users. With the additional feedback we received, and by analyzing our data, we can continue to streamline 

the process. Our goal is to attain the data as comprehensively as possible, while minimizing the data entry impact 

on everyone.

As with any new program, there have been some initial growing pains. With your patience and help, however, 

we will be able to make the necessary adjustments and continue to move forward. Complete and accurate data collection is vital for achieving our JAG Corps 2020 goals. Every member of the JAG Corps team - NLSC, SJA and 

OJAG HQ - must continue to make CMTIS a part of his or her daily routine.

Case Management, Tracking, and Information System

By now, everyone should have read the Strategic 

Plan. As you know, we have been making significant 

progress on many initiatives. Specifics of that progress 

can be found on the JAG Corps 2020 webpage on NKO 

by clicking on the Strategic Transformation Execution 

Plan (STEP). The STEP lists all of the initiatives that 

are being worked in order to transform the JAG Corps. 

The SAT Team is not responsible for all of the big 

wins you read about in JAGINFOs and this JAG Magazine – you are! We are responsible for facilitating the 

initiatives. Our primary responsibility is finding new 

ideas and seeing if there is a JAG Corps fit for the idea. 

This is where you come in. We cannot stress enough 

the importance of feedback and active dialogue with 

the SAT Office, and we encourage you to send your 

ideas and comments to us on our NKO website. If you 

have an idea that you think would be worthwhile for 

the JAG Corps to pursue, please post it on our webpage 

or call one of the staff. We are always interested in 

your thoughts! There are many exciting ideas being 

reviewed already, but we’re certain there are more to 

discover. 

CAPT Dave Hayes

(202) 685-7115 david.f.hayes@navy.mil 

CDR Mary Horrigan

(202) 685-7255 mary.horrigan@navy.mil 

Special Assistant for Transformation (SAT) Staff

CAPT(S) Rob Taishoff

(202) 685-5462 robert.taishoff@navy.mil 

LCDR Joe Hoelz

(202) 685-5185 joe.hoelz@navy.mil
18

The Judge Advocate General takes pleasure in commending Mr. Joseph Baggett for outstanding meritorious 

achievement while serving as Deputy Director, International and Operational Law Division, Office of the Judge 

Advocate General, Washington, DC from July to September 2006. 

During the period of this award, the nation was transfixed on the efforts of the Executive and Legislative 

Branches to craft the Military Commissions Act of 2006. 

Demonstrating mastery of international and national 

precedents for war crime tribunals, Mr. Baggett provided 

outstanding support in the development of Navy input 

and positions during the interagency process. Through 

his many contributions, the legislative proposal was 

positively influenced in numerous and substantive ways, 

earning recognition of those who worked to address the 

significant issues identified by the Supreme Court in the 

Hamden v. Rumsfeld decision. 

His authoritative interpretations of the Geneva Conventions, combined with an expertise in legislative 

Captain Patrick Neher was awarded 

the Meritorious Service Medal for 

outstanding meritorious achievement 

while serving as Director, International and Operational Law Division, 

Office of the Judge Advocate General, 

Washington, DC from July to September 2006. 

During the period of this award, the 

nation was transfixed on the efforts of 

the Executive and Legislative Branches 

to craft the Military Commissions Act 

of 2006. Demonstrating his mastery 

not only of international and national 

precedents for war crime tribunals, but 

also expertise regarding courts-martial 

procedure, Captain Neher assumed the 

lead in representing the Department of 

the Navy in the interagency process. 

He influenced the legislative proposal 

in numerous and substantive ways, 

affairs, proved 

instrumental in 

preparing the 

Judge Advocate 

General for testimony before 

both the Senate 

Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services 

Committee. 

Mr. Baggett provided round-the-clock support to this 

historic effort and, through his personal efforts, ensured 

the law reached an appropriate balance between the 

national security interests of the United States and the 

individual rights of those brought before military commissions. 

The exceptional professional ability, steadfast initiative, and selfless dedication to duty exhibited by Mr. 

Baggett reflected great credit upon him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval 

Service. 

earning the praise of all who worked 

to address the significant issues identified by the Supreme Court in the 

Hamden v. Rumsfeld decision. 

His unparalleled understanding of 

the Geneva Conventions and remarkable ability to weave the many complicated strands of law and policy 

pertaining to the handling of unlawful enemy combatants into a single, 

authoritative tapestry proved instrumental in his insightful briefings to the 

Secretary of the Navy and in preparing 

the Judge Advocate General for testimony before both the Senate Judiciary 

Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. 

Captain Neher never tired nor 

wavered in providing round-the-clock 

support to this historic effort and, 

through his personal efforts, ensured 

the law reached an appropriate balance 

between the national security interests 

of the United States and the individual 

rights of those brought before military 

commissions. 

The exceptional professional ability, steadfast initiative, and selfless 

dedication to duty exhibited by Captain Neher reflected great credit upon 

him and were in keeping with the 

highest traditions of the United States 

Naval Service. 

Captain Patrick Neher

Mr. Joseph Baggett

Awards
19

News and Notes

The publication of the latest edition of Naval Law 

Review, Volume 53, is on the JAG webpage of Navy 

Knowledge Online (NKO). 

The Naval Law Review is the Sea Services’ preeminent forum for scholarly legal discussion, and the 

efforts of the following authors and the editors who 

assisted them are greatly appreciated: Col. James 

P. Terry, USMC (Ret.); Col. Joseph L. Falvey, Jr., 

USMCR; Capt. Keith J. Allred, JAGC, USN; Capt. 

Eileen C. Riley, JAGC, USN; Cmdr. Andrew H. Henderson, JAGC, USN; Cmdr. Sean P. Henseler, JAGC, 

USN; Lt. Cmdr. James Paul Benoit, JAGC, USN; Lt. 

Cmdr. Eva Loser, JAGC, USN; Lt. Cmdr. Peter R. Koebler, JAGC, USN; Lt. Cmdr. Sabatino F. Leo, JAGC, 

USN; Lt. Cmdr. Timothy D. Stone, JAGC, USN; Lt. 

Cmdr. Jay Tangney, JAGC, USN; Lt. Cmdr. Ann M. 

Vallandingham, JAGC, USN; Lt. Mark A. Lindsey, 

JAGC, USN; Lt. Steven R. Obert, USN; Lt. James M. 

O’Brien, JAGC, USN; Lt. Kevin R. Powers, JAGC, 

USN; Lt. Kristina B. Reeves, JAGC, USN; Lt. Dustin E. 

Wallace, JAGC, USN; Capt. Joseph C. Silvio, USMC; 

Lt.j.g. Salvatore F. Vonella, JAGC, USN; Ms. Heather 

DePremio; and Ms. Sara Espahbodi. 

Whether the intention is to educate the Sea Services’ 

legal community in an area of the law you find interesting or to fuel discussion on a current issue, the Naval 

Law Review provides an excellent outlet to communicate your ideas. Publication in the Naval Law Review is 

definitive recognition of your commitment to scholarly 

pursuits of interest to the Sea Services. All are encouraged to take full advantage of this opportunity.

 Submissions to the Naval Law Review may be 

forwarded to Lt. Mark Lindsey, Editor-in-Chief, at 

mark.lindsey@navy.mil. 

Awards

Mr. Koichi Sekizawa received the Master Labor Contract 

(MLC) Employee Enabler of the Year award from Rear Admiral James Kelly at the annual Commander, Naval Forces Japan 

holiday event. Sekizawa-san has worked for the Navy for 30 

years and is the recognized expert on foreign criminal jurisdiction (FCJ). Rear Admiral Kelly chose him for this award 

because of his exceptional work during the Reese case (U.S. 

servicemember tried in Japanese court) in January 2006 and 

his continued devotion to duty. For example, Sekizawa-san 

has been part of two fly-away teams to Misawa and Sasebo for 

high-profile FCJ cases where his experience was required.

Mr. Koichi Sekizawa

See your name in print! 

Submit your command awards 

or photos to 

jennifer.zeldis@navy.mil