Revised Rules for Battlefield Contractors

ord, John, Goodwin, David, National Defense

The expansion of the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000 (MEJA) and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) has complicated the legal environment for U.S. contractors co-located with military forces abroad.

Contractor employees and subcontractors at all levels may now be subject to host nation laws, U.S. federal criminal law through MEJA and the UCMJ. In addition to this new jurisdiction over individual employees, contractors must now adhere to MEJA and UCMJ employee notification requirements.

Recently approved clauses in the Federal Acquisition Regulations and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement require contractors to notify employees before deployment that MEJA and UCMJ potentially apply to them. FAR 52.225-19, which is titled "Contractor personnel in a designated operational area or supporting a diplomatic or consular mission outside …

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Publication information: Article title: Revised Rules for Battlefield Contractors. Contributors: ord, John - Author, Goodwin, David - Author. Magazine title: National Defense. Volume: 93. Issue: 657 Publication date: August 2008. Page number: 60. © 2009 National Defense Industrial Association. COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group.

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