JAO assists the SJA to CMC in his capacity as the legal advisor to CMC and HQMC on operational law matters. JAO provides operational law support to CMC in his role as both a Service Chief and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to HQMC staff agencies, and to Marine judge advocates worldwide. On behalf of the SJA to CMC, JAO maintains HQMC staff cognizance over the operational law function, including legal issues associated with treaty interpretation and compliance, negotiation and conclusion of international agreements, law of war (LOW), detainee operations, rules of engagement, law of the sea, funding of military operations, training and equipping foreign forces, cyberspace law, non-lethal weapons, intelligence activities, and domestic operations. While Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations is the primary staff sponsor, JAO is the subject matter expert and manager of the Marine Corps LOW Program and provides support to Marine judge advocates, to include: instruction and guidance, web-based resource and information portal, training materials and reference documents, and after-action reports/legal lessons learned.
Organizational Mailbox:
JAO@usmc.mil