Military order (instruction)
{{Short description|Binding instruction given by a senior rank to a junior rank in a military context}}
{{Other uses|command (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Command (military formation)}}
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A military command or order is a binding instruction given by a senior rank to a junior rank in a military context. Not all senior ranks in all military forces have the right to give an order to all lower ranks.George Breckenridge Davis, A Treatise on the Military Law of the United States, 1913 1584776501 p385 "A staff officer has, except by assignment, no right to give a military order to an officer of the line ; if he should do so without stating that he did so in the name of a superior to the line officer, such order would be invalid."
U.S. Department of Defense
General orders, according to the United States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, are:
- Permanent instructions, issued in order form, that apply to all members of a command, as compared with special orders, which affect only individuals or small groups. General orders are usually concerned with matters of policy or administration.Joint Publication 1-02, Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, 12 April 2001, (As Amended Through
31 October 2009), 224.
- A series of permanent guard orders that govern the duties of a sentry on post.
An operations order, in a US DOD sense, is a plan format meant which is intended to assist subordinate units with the conduct of military operations.