Report to General William C. Westmoreland, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

In October 1959, Secretary of the Army Wilber M. Brucker appointed a committee of senior officers to study the administration of military justice in the Army. The committee, which was chaired by LTG Herbert B. Powell, was tasked to: study the effectiveness of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) on discipline within the Army; analyze any inequities or injustices accruing to the Government or to individuals from the application of the Code and judicial decisions stemming therefrom; and consider legislative or other improvements to the Code. The committee's report, which is commonly known as the Powell report, was approved by Secretary Brucker in October 1960. Many of the recommendations of this report regarding the authority of military judges and The Judge Advocate General in courts-martial proceedings and reviews were subsequently adopted by the Army.