The Office of the Judge Advocate General
The Judge Advocate General
The Judge Advocate General is appointed by the Governor in Council and acts as the legal advisor to the Governor General, the Minister, the Department of National Defence, and the Canadian Armed Forces in matters relating to military law.Footnote 25 The Judge Advocate General also has the statutory duty to superintend the administration of military justice in the Canadian Armed Forces and is responsible to the Minister in the performance of these duties and functions.Footnote 26
Command of the Office of the Judge Advocate General
Under the Ministerial Organization Order, the Office of the JAG is established to assist the Judge Advocate General in carrying out their statutory duties and functions. The Judge Advocate General has command over all officers and non-commissioned members posted to a position established within the Office of the JAG.
The duties of a legal officer are determined by, or under the authority of, the Judge Advocate General and in respect of the performance of those duties, a legal officer is not subject to the command of an officer who is not a legal officer. This ensures that legal officers provide independent legal services. All qualified legal officers serving in the Office of the JAG are members in good standing with the bar of a province or territory in Canada.Footnote 27
Judge Advocate General Chief Warrant Officer
The Judge Advocate General Chief Warrant Officer serves as the senior non-commissioned member advisor to the Judge Advocate General. Based on the command team concept, the Judge Advocate General Chief Warrant Officer provides perspective to the Judge Advocate General and the senior leadership team on strategic issues related the Judge Advocate General’s statutory roles, the Canadian Armed Forces, and the Office of the JAG.
Together with the Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer, the Judge Advocate General Chief Warrant Officer chairs the Canadian Armed Forces Discipline Advisory Council, which provides Armed Forces Council and the Judge Advocate General with important and valuable advice on matters relevant to the maintenance of discipline efficiency and morale in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Other Chief Warrant Officers and Chief Petty Officers First Class are posted to Assistant Judge Advocate General offices and certain Deputy Judge Advocate offices within Canada. In these roles, they serve as a key link between senior non-commissioned members at the unit, base, wing, and formation levels and the local legal offices in addressing disciplinary and administrative matters.
The Office of the Judge Advocate General
The Office of the JAG supports the Judge Advocate General in carrying out their statutory duties and functions. It is composed of Canadian Armed Forces Regular and Reserve Force legal officers, civilian members of the Public Service, and Canadian Armed Forces members from other military occupations.
The Judge Advocate General’s Strategic Guidance defines the Office of the JAG’s overall mission as consisting of three principal lines of effort.Footnote 28 The first is the delivery of timely, client-focused, options-oriented and operationally driven military legal services in support of the Government of Canada, the Department of National Defence, and the Canadian Armed Forces’ priorities and objectives. The second is the superintendence of the administration of the military justice system and the promotion of discipline, efficiency, and morale within the Canadian Armed Forces by enabling its proper operation. The third line of effort is leading by example, inspiring excellence and empowering members of the Office of the JAG to reach their full potential. The Strategic Guidance also identifies four values that guide those who serve in the Office of the JAG: respect, courage, creativity, and accountability.
The Office of the JAG is composed of six divisions and two directorates, all led by legal officers of the Colonel/Captain(N) rank, as outlined below:
Divisions:
- Chief of Staff and Corporate Services Division
- Military Justice Division
- Military Justice Modernization Division
- Operational and International Law Division
- Administration Law Division
- Regional Services Division
Directorates:
- Defence Counsel Services
- Canadian Military Prosecution Service
The Director of Defence Counsel Services, assisted by legal officers who act as defence counsel, is responsible for providing, supervising, and directing legal services to persons who are liable to be charged, dealt with and tried under the Code of Service Discipline, at no cost to the member. The Director of Defence Counsel Services is appointed by the Minister for a renewable term of four years and acts independently from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces authorities when exercising their powers, duties, and functions.
The Director of Military Prosecutions is the senior military prosecutor in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is the responsibility of the Director of Military Prosecutions, with the assistance of legal officers appointed to act as military prosecutors, to prefer charges to be tried by court martial, to conduct all prosecutions at court martial, and to act as counsel for the Minister in respect of appeals to the Court Martial Appeal Court (CMAC) and the Supreme Court of Canada. The Director of Military Prosecutions is also responsible for providing advice in support of investigations conducted by Canadian Forces National Investigation Service and Military Police.
The Director of Military Prosecutions and the Director of Defence Counsel Services submit annual reports to the Judge Advocate General. Their reports for the 2025/2026 reporting period are available online here: