Military Protective Orders in a domestic violence situation

Military Protective Orders (MPO) are short-term orders issued by a unit commander against an active duty servicemember under his or her command. No hearing is involved. A MPO is issued upon request of a victim or victim advocate to the unit commander. If the unit commander finds that a MPO is appropriate, they will order one. The terms of the MPO are determined by the unit commander.

A violation of a MPO by a servicemember is the same as “disobeying a direct order” and can result in discipline against the servicemember.

Visit WomensLaw.org for further information about Military Protective Orders and how they are implemented on military bases.