U.S. Army JAG Corps Strategy

U.S. Army JAG Corps Strategy - Preamble

Building a Future-Ready JAG Corps, Inspired by a Legacy of Service

Since 1775 the JAG Corps has steadfastly supported the Army in the defense of our Nation and foundational constitutional values. As the Army transforms, the JAG Corps, including our military and Civilian attorneys, paralegals, legal administrators and paraprofessionals, must also innovate to continue providing the best legal support to the Army warfighter across an increasingly complex and dynamic operating environment. Just as we have met the challenges of the past, our Corps must be poised to overcome both the known and the uncertain challenges that lie ahead.

To do this, we must enact bold changes across our practice to become more agile and effective as Soldiers and legal professionals. We will optimize how we recruit, train, integrate, and retain our personnel across all components to ensure we remain invaluable experts at our craft who are best postured to support the Army at every level. We will leverage cutting-edge technology to modernize our systems and enhance readiness for the current and future fight. Empowered by these changes, every member of our team, whether by advising Army leaders, protecting Army interests, or representing Soldiers and their Families, will provide support to the critical warfighting mission of the Army.

As we transform with our Army, we will remain grounded in our Four Constants: Principled Counsel, Stewardship, Mastery of the Law, and Servant Leadership. We will continue to develop selfless leaders and build cohesive teams based on trust and mutual respect who display unwavering commitment in their service to our country. We remain focused on the well-being and personal growth of our people. As always, everything we do will be firmly rooted in the foundation of the Army Ethic, our warrior ethos, and respect for the Rule of Law.

We will implement this strategy in a transparent and deliberate manner, informed by the experiences and perspectives of our leaders and teammates in the field. We will actively manage our transformation and review our progress to ensure these initiatives result in impactful and enduring changes that best posture us to be the JAG Corps the Army needs.

BOBBY L. CHRISTINE
Major General, USA
The Judge Advocate General

U.S. Army JAG Corps Strategy - In Depth

People Strengthen Our Corps ENDSTATE: A disciplined and comprehensively fit JAG Corps that is organized, trained, resourced, and ready to deliver premier legal services to the Army and Joint Forces. To do this we will...	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1 Recruit and retain intelligent, dedicated, and adaptable legal professionals focused on warfighting. Aggressively attract top talent. Build resilient formations of committed practitioners across all components. Optimize recruiting and retention strategies to ensure a strong and consistent pipeline of talent. Leverage data, technology, and in-house talent to streamline the recruitment process and maximize meaningful engagement to deliver energized candidates.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2 Develop impactful leaders who produce trained formations ready to execute decisive action and assigned missions. Prioritize and capitalize on talent management. Grow leaders who develop others, are complex problem solvers, and adept at integrating into Army organizations and commands. Develop a digitally fluent and innovative force. Educate, train, and develop leaders.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3 Cultivate and sustain a culture and climate that embodies the JAG Corps Constants and drives organizational success. Promote trust, esprit de corps, and pride in service. Emphasize Army values, warrior ethos, and Soldier proficiencies. Build powerful, cohesive, and high-functioning teams. Inculcate holistic health and fitness to maximize Soldier readiness and lethality.
Transformation Continuously Transform for the Future ENDSTATE: A modern, adaptive, and mission-ready total legal force that is always transforming to meet the demands of the future Army and delivering agile, technologically enabled legal support to the warfighter. To do this we will...	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4 Align JAG Corps with Army Institutional Processes. Align and synchronize our institutional processes, including recruitment, retention, talent management, education, training, and capability development with those of a transforming Army. Align our organizational structures and doctrine across all components with the Army’s needs throughout the competition continuum to provide the right people at the right echelons to support the operational and institutional Army.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5 Transform the JAG Corps’ information technology and knowledge management capabilities to modernize our legal practice. Modernize and align the JAG Corps’ IT enterprise architecture (hardware, applications, and data) with its people and operations. Field effective applications, establish sound data management practices, strengthen knowledge management, and enable automation and collaboration across each objective of the JAG Corps’ strategy and enduring mission.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6 Expand legal expertise to support continuous transformation and rapid innovative efforts across echelons. Cultivate deep expertise in emerging warfighter capabilities, foster institutional partnerships, and modernize doctrine and professional development pathways to better assess and influence legal and policy dimensions of Army Transformation. Arm legal professionals with tools and training to support the Army in degraded, dispersed, and contested environments across the full-spectrum of operations.
Readiness Legal Support to Combat Forces ENDSTATE: An expertly trained team aligned across all components to effectively support combat forces to fight and win now in multi-domain operations. To do this we will...	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 7 Prioritize legal practice to enhance combat readiness. Prioritize doctrinal legal support functions while fully supporting command priorities. Provide principled counsel and expert legal services in support of the Army’s generating, fielding, and fighting Forces. Maintain an experienced JAG Corps of resilient legal professionals across all components ready to provide legal services to support the Army and Joint Forces across all mission sets.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 8 Synchronize legal practice across all components. Plan, organize, operate, and practice as one synchronized JAG Corps that incorporates the unique legal capabilities of all three components. Develop and execute a plan to align and integrate legal capabilities and enable collaboration while supporting operational lethality and strategic reach across the total force.	STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 9 Optimize training and education effectiveness. Execute well-developed, synchronized, and graduated institutional education and training for all JALS members with a focus on dual professional skills to become better Soldiers and legal professionals. Conduct integrated institutional and organizational training by cohort and discipline to build and maintain legal expertise at every skill level.

U.S. Army JAG Corps Strategy - In Depth

People

Strengthen Our Corps

ENDSTATE:
A disciplined and comprehensively fit JAG Corps that is organized, trained, resourced, and ready to deliver premier legal services to the Army and Joint Forces.

To do this we will...

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1

Recruit and retain intelligent, dedicated, and adaptable legal professionals focused on warfighting.

Aggressively attract top talent. Build resilient formations of committed practitioners across all components. Optimize recruiting and retention strategies to ensure a strong and consistent pipeline of talent. Leverage data, technology, and in-house talent to streamline the recruitment process and maximize meaningful engagement to deliver energized candidates.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2

Develop impactful leaders who produce trained formations ready to execute decisive action and assigned missions.

Prioritize and capitalize on talent management. Grow leaders who develop others, are complex problem solvers, and adept at integrating into Army organizations and commands. Develop a digitally fluent and innovative force. Educate, train, and develop leaders.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3

Cultivate and sustain a culture and climate that embodies the JAG Corps Constants and drives organizational success.

Promote trust, esprit de corps, and pride in service. Emphasize Army values, warrior ethos, and Soldier proficiencies. Build powerful, cohesive, and high-functioning teams. Inculcate holistic health and fitness to maximize Soldier readiness and lethality.

Transformation

Continuously Transform for the Future

ENDSTATE:
A modern, adaptive, and mission-ready total legal force that is always transforming to meet the demands of the future Army and delivering agile, technologically enabled legal support to the warfighter.

To do this we will...

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4

Align JAG Corps with Army Institutional Processes.

Align and synchronize our institutional processes, including recruitment, retention, talent management, education, training, and capability development with those of a transforming Army. Align our organizational structures and doctrine across all components with the Army’s needs throughout the competition continuum to provide the right people at the right echelons to support the operational and institutional Army.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5

Transform the JAG Corps’ information technology and knowledge management capabilities to modernize our legal practice.

Modernize and align the JAG Corps’ IT enterprise architecture (hardware, applications, and data) with its people and operations. Field effective applications, establish sound data management practices, strengthen knowledge management, and enable automation and collaboration across each objective of the JAG Corps’ strategy and enduring mission.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6

Expand legal expertise to support continuous transformation and rapid innovative efforts across echelons.

Cultivate deep expertise in emerging warfighter capabilities, foster institutional partnerships, and modernize doctrine and professional development pathways to better assess and influence legal and policy dimensions of Army Transformation. Arm legal professionals with tools and training to support the Army in degraded, dispersed, and contested environments across the full-spectrum of operations.

Readiness

Legal Support to Combat Forces

ENDSTATE:
An expertly trained team aligned across all components to effectively support combat forces to fight and win now in multi-domain operations.

To do this we will...

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 7

Prioritize legal practice to enhance combat readiness.

Prioritize doctrinal legal support functions while fully supporting command priorities. Provide principled counsel and expert legal services in support of the Army’s generating, fielding, and fighting Forces. Maintain an experienced JAG Corps of resilient legal professionals across all components ready to provide legal services to support the Army and Joint Forces across all mission sets.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 8

Synchronize legal practice across all components.

Plan, organize, operate, and practice as one synchronized JAG Corps that incorporates the unique legal capabilities of all three components. Develop and execute a plan to align and integrate legal capabilities and enable collaboration while supporting operational lethality and strategic reach across the total force.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 9

Optimize training and education effectiveness.

Execute well-developed, synchronized, and graduated institutional education and training for all JALS members with a focus on dual professional skills to become better Soldiers and legal professionals. Conduct integrated institutional and organizational training by cohort and discipline to build and maintain legal expertise at every skill level.