United States Army Provost Marshal General
Encyclopedia
The Provost Marshal General 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.
Since 2003, the position has been occupied by the following general officers:
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.
. The office dealt with recruitment and desertion issues. It also supervised Invalid Corps, in which disabled soldiers performed at garrisons. The position was abolished in 1866.
was appointed Provost Marshal General of Manila
in July 1901 which provide law enforcement in Manila and the provinces. The position was abolished after about a year.
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.
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.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
staff position that handles investigations and incarcerations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the senior-most Provost Marshal
Provost Marshal
The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police .There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire, gate security, and...
position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
. 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
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, it was resurrected on January 30, 2003 following the September 11 attacks.
It is responsible for:
- United States Army Military Police Corps (since 2003)
- United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) (since 2003)
- United States Army Corrections CommandUnited States Army Corrections CommandThe United States Army Corrections Command exercises command and control and operational oversight for policy, programming, resourcing, and support of Army Corrections System facilities and TDA elements worldwide....
(ACC) (since 2007)
Prior to its most recent organization, the responsibilities of this position were scattered across various army units.
Since 2003, the position has been occupied by the following general officers:
- Maj. Gen. Donald J. Ryder (retired 2007)
- Brig. Gen. Rodney L. JohnsonRodney L. JohnsonBrigadier General Rodney L. Johnson is a former Provost Marshal General of the Army and Commanding General United States Army Criminal Investigation Command.-Biography:...
(retired January 15, 2010) - Brig. Gen. Colleen L. McGuireColleen L. McGuireBrigadier General Colleen L. McGuire, USA is a former officer of the United States Army. She was the Commanding General of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command and the 13th Provost Marshal General, the first woman to hold either position. Brigadier General McGuire was also the...
(January 15, 2010–September 28,2011) - Major General David E. QuantockDavid E. QuantockMajor General David E. Quantock is the United States Army Provost Marshal General and Commander of the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command.-Abu Ghraib:...
(Sepetember 28, 2011-present)
American Revolutionary War
William Marony was the first Provost Marshal General, appointed by George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
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 WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The office dealt with recruitment and desertion issues. It also supervised Invalid Corps, in which disabled soldiers performed at garrisons. The position was abolished in 1866.
Spanish-American War
Arthur MacArthur, Jr.Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. , was a United States Army General. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900 but his term ended a year later due to clashes with the civilian governor, future President William Howard Taft...
was appointed Provost Marshal General of Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
in July 1901 which provide law enforcement in Manila and the provinces. The position was abolished after about a year.
World War I
Enoch CrowderEnoch Crowder
Major General Enoch Herbert Crowder, USA commonly referred to as General Crowder, was an American Army lawyer who served as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1911 to 1923...
was appointed Provost Marshal General July 1917 with focus on enforcing the Selective Service System
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
. During the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
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
Harry Hill Bandholtz
Major General Harry Hill Bandholtz was the US representative of the Allied Military Mission in Hungary in 1919.-Life:Bandholtz was born in Constantine, Michigan and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. In 1902 he served as Provincial Governor in Tayabas Province in the Philippines...
. 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. GullionAllen W. Gullion
Major General Allen Wyant Gullion, USA was an American Army officer who served as the 19th Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1937 to 1941 and the 17th Provost Marshal General of the United States Army from 1941 to 1944.-Further reading:...
was appointed in 1941. Its duties initially were to control enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
s but were later expanded to do security clearance
Security clearance
A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information, i.e., state secrets, or to restricted areas after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is also sometimes used in private organizations that have a formal...
investigations and Military Police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
. After 1943 it was responsible for prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
s in the United States as well as Japanese-American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
relocation camps
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
. 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.See also
- Provost Marshal's Office (United States Marine Corps)
- Masters-at-Arms (United States Navy)
- United States Air Force Security Forces