U.S. Army

Military Police Corps

Law enforcement. Detention. Combat support. No other branch owns all three missions. From directing traffic on the Red Ball Express to fighting VC during Tet in Saigon to running IED-laden route security patrols in Iraq, MPs enforce the law and fight the war simultaneously. The brassard means law enforcement. The weapons qualification means combat ready.

"Of the Troops and For the Troops" Est. 1941

EST. SEPTEMBER 26, 1941

Military Police Corps

Law Enforcement · Corrections · Combat Support

Enforcement · Combat

MISSION · LE · DET · COMBAT

Military Police have a triple mission that no other branch shares — law enforcement, detention operations, and combat support. MPs patrol installations, investigate crimes, run detention facilities, and fight as combat units when the mission demands it. In Iraq, MP convoys were among the most frequently ambushed because they operated on the roads every day. The 507th Maintenance Company ambush at Nasiriyah included MP soldiers. In Afghanistan, MPs trained the Afghan National Police. The MP brassard means law enforcement. The weapons qualification means combat ready. Read more

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World War II — Traffic, Security, POWs 1941 – 1945

WWII Military Police

Traffic Control · POW Camps · Security

MPs at Peak Strength

425,000 German POWs US

Control · Red Ball Route

REAR AREA · CONVOYS

At peak strength, 210,000 Military Police soldiers served in WWII. MPs directed traffic on the Red Ball Express routes, guarded supply depots, managed 425,000 German POWs held in the United States, provided convoy security, and fought enemy units that infiltrated rear areas during the Battle of the Bulge. When German soldiers in American uniforms operated behind the lines during Operation Greif, MPs set up checkpoints that asked Americans baseball questions and state capitals. MPs were the last line of security in the rear area — and sometimes the first line of defense. Read more

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Vietnam Through GWOT 1965 – Present

CONVOY · SAIGON · TET

Convoy Security · Saigon Patrols · Tet

MP Patrols Daily

Security · Highway Patrol

MPs First Responders

MP BN · SAIGON

In Vietnam, MPs patrolled Saigon's streets, secured convoys on ambush-prone highways, guarded installations, and ran the military justice system in theater. During the Tet Offensive, the 716th MP Battalion in Saigon was among the first American units to engage the VC — fighting from their billets and patrolling into the city while the attack was still underway. MPs at the U.S. Embassy compound fought off the sappers who breached the wall. Military Police were combat soldiers who happened to carry badges. Read more

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ROUTE SECURITY · FPF

Iraq & Afghanistan — Combat MPs

Route Security · Detainee Ops · Police Training

Security Patrols

Focused Police Force

Afghan Natl Police Train

MOST TARGETED CONVOYS

In Iraq and Afghanistan, MPs ran some of the most dangerous missions in theater — route security patrols on IED-laden roads, detainee operations at Camp Bucca and Bagram, and training Iraqi Police and Afghan National Police from scratch. MP convoys were IED magnets because they drove the same roads every day. The 984th MP Company, the 759th MP Battalion, and dozens of other MP units fought as maneuver elements. The line between law enforcement and combat disappeared entirely. MPs killed more enemy fighters in Iraq than many infantry battalions. Read more

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CID — Criminal Investigation Division

Army's Federal Law Enforcement

Criminal Investigation

CID Special Agent

Investigation · Forensics

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The Army Criminal Investigation Division — now a standalone agency — is the Army's federal law enforcement organization. CID special agents investigate felony crimes including homicide, sexual assault, fraud, and cybercrimes. They operate forensic laboratories, conduct undercover operations, and carry federal law enforcement credentials. CID traces its lineage to the criminal investigation detachments of WWII. CID agents are the detectives of the Army — investigating the crimes that MPs respond to first. Read more

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31E · CORRECTIONS

Detention Operations

Corrections · Internment · POW/Detainee

Internment Specialist

Bagram · Theater Det

CONVENTION STANDARDS

MP corrections specialists operate the Army's detention system — from the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth (the military's only maximum security prison) to theater internment facilities in combat zones. In Iraq, MPs managed detention facilities holding thousands of detainees under Geneva Convention standards. The Abu Ghraib scandal exposed what happens when detention operations fail. The MP Corps learned that lesson at institutional cost. Detention operations done right protect both the detainees and the mission. Read more

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FT LEONARD WOOD

WAYNESVILLE, MO

Fort Leonard Wood & MP School

Home of the MP Corps

Fort Leonard Wood, MO

School · MANSCEN

Military Police MOS

MP WORKING DOGS

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri is the home of the Military Police Corps and the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence. Every MP trains here — from 31B Military Police to 31D CID Special Agents to 31K Military Police Working Dog Handlers. FLW also trains CBRN and Engineer soldiers. In the Missouri Ozarks, the Army builds the soldiers who enforce the law, run the prisons, and fight on every road in the combat zone. Read more

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83

Years of Service

Triple

Mission Branch

CID

Federal Agents

Assist

Protect · Defend