United States Army Provost Marshal General The Provost Marshal General ( pronounced " Provo " ) is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations and incarcerations of U . S . Army personnel . It is the senior - most Provost Marshal position in the U . S . Army , reporting to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army . The position brings all aspects of law enforcement in the U . S . Army in a single office . The role has been off and on since 1776 ( usually in periods of war time ) . After shutting down in 1974 at the end of the Vietnam War , it was resurrected on January 30 , 2003 following the September 11 attacks . It is responsible for : Prior to its most recent organization , the responsibilities of this position were scattered across various army units . History . American Revolutionary War . William Marony was the first Provost Marshal General , appointed by George Washington on January 10 , 1776 . The principal job was maintaining jails and supervising 40 executions . Nine men served as Provost Marshal General until 1778 when the duties were transferred to the Marechausse Corps . Service ended at the end of the war . American Civil War . James Fry was appointed on March 3 , 1863 to be the first Provost Marshal General during the American Civil War . The office dealt with recruitment and desertion issues . It also supervised the Invalid Corps , in which disabled soldiers performed at garrisons . The position was abolished in 1866 . An 1866 proposal to reorganise the Army to include a Provost Marshal ' s Bureau " consisting of a Provost Marshal General with the rank , pay and emoluments of a Brigadier General and an Assistant Provost Marshal General with the rank , pay and emoluments of a Colonel of Cavalry " was rejected on the grounds " that it creates an unnecessary office for an underserving public servant " . Spanish - American War . Arthur MacArthur , Jr . was appointed Provost Marshal General of Manila in July 1901 to provide law enforcement in Manila and the provinces . The position was abolished after about a year . World War I . Enoch Crowder was appointed Provost Marshal General July 1917 with focus on enforcing the Selective Service System . During the American Expeditionary Force Provost Marshal Generals oversaw military police , prisoner of war , criminal investigation , and circulation in Europe . Among the European marshals were Hanson E . Ely , William H . Allaire , John C . Groome III , and Harry Hill Bandholtz . The European component was dissolved in 1919 and the Provost Marshall General remained an advisor to the War Department until 1927 . World War II . The Basic Field Manual in 1937 outlined the position when it was reactivated . Allen W . Gullion was appointed in 1941 . Its duties initially were to control enemy alien s but were later expanded to do security clearance investigations and Military Police . After 1943 it was responsible for prisoner - of - war camp s in the United States as well as Japanese - American relocation camps . Toward the end of the war it began investigating crimes and apprehending deserters and would handle the War Crimes Division of the Judge Advocate General ' s Office . Post World War II . Gullion remained until April 1944 when he was succeeded by Archer L . Lerch , Blackshear M . Bryan in 1945 , Edwin P . Parker Jr . in 1948 , William H . Maglin in 1953 , and Haydon L . Boatner in 1957 . Vietnam War . Ralph J . Butchers was appointed in 1960 followed by Carl C . Turner in 1964 , Karl W . Gustafson in 1968 and finally Lloyd B . Ramsey in 1970 until the office was abolished on May 20 , 1974 . War on Terror . After the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom , the position of Provost Marshal General was recreated . List of Provost Marshals General . Here is the list of Provost Marshals Generals :