Executive Order 13387: 2005 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States
President: George W. Bush
Revised courts-martial procedure, punitive articles and nonjudicial punishment provisions.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13387 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13387 remains in effect. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13387 do?
EO 13387 amended Rules for Courts-Martial, selected punitive-article explanations and model specifications, and Part V nonjudicial-punishment provisions. It took effect 30 days after signing and preserved specified earlier proceedings. The Defense Department’s 2012 Manual for Courts-Martial lists EO 13387 among the historical amendments to the presidential manual.
Before and after
Before the order
EO 12473 prescribed the Manual for Courts-Martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
After the order
EO 13387 amended Rules for Courts-Martial, selected punitive-article explanations and model specifications, and Part V nonjudicial-punishment provisions. It took effect 30 days after signing and preserved specified earlier proceedings.
The Defense Department’s 2012 Manual for Courts-Martial lists EO 13387 among the historical amendments to the presidential manual.
What did the signed order change?
EO 12473 prescribed the Manual for Courts-Martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. EO 13387 amended Rules for Courts-Martial, selected punitive-article explanations and model specifications, and Part V nonjudicial-punishment provisions. It took effect 30 days after signing and preserved specified earlier proceedings.
What happened later?
Defense Department — 2012 Manual for Courts-Martial documents this later development: The Defense Department’s 2012 Manual for Courts-Martial lists EO 13387 among the historical amendments to the presidential manual.
What does that evidence establish?
The 30-day effective date, protection against retroactive punishment and savings language for earlier proceedings matter to application. The 2012 manual documents the order’s place in the amendment history, not that every provision remains unchanged today. This review does not infer the outcome of any court-martial. The signed order controls its original terms.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Military justice authorities and commanders | Applied the amended manual under its effective-date and transition rules | Under the signed order and governing law |
What happened next
EO 13387 signed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The 30-day effective date, protection against retroactive punishment and savings language for earlier proceedings matter to application. The 2012 manual documents the order’s place in the amendment history, not that every provision remains unchanged today.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — official executive-order record (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 26, 2026. How we research →