Military Courts and Tribunals

The contemporary concept of military courts and tribunals, understood as a regular part of the military justice system of trying soldiers for offenses committed during armed conflicts or violations associated with disobedience of orders or discipline, [Page 1091]was initially introduced with professionalization of armies along with a brand new occupation—the professional soldier. The process was accelerated by further modernization with the development of automatic rifles, mass mobilization and mobility, and finally international rules of war and protection of soldiers and civilians. It ultimately led each major state power to create its own military justice systems to increase the efficiency of command and control over the intensely growing numbers of soldiers.

With the rising power of armies and those who were leading them, military conflicts were no ...