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Article: Military Law
- Article from:
- West's Encyclopedia of American Law
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Gale Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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MILITARY LAW
The body of laws, rules, and regulations that have been developed to meet the needs of the military. It encompasses service in the military, the constitutional rights of service members, the military criminal justice system, and the
international law
of armed conflict.
The Framers of the Constitution vigorously debated the necessity and advisability of a standing army. Federalists such as alexander hamilton and james madison argued that a standing army was needed for the maintenance of a unified defense. Others, like thomas jefferson and george mason, were fearful of instituting a military establishment that could be an instrument of governmental abuse. They argued that ...