Traumatic psychological and functional somatic syndromes in military personnel, following recent conflicts, have generated considerable interest in recent years (Jones et al, 2002). However, there has been near-total academic neglect of forensic military psychiatry, despite the anticipated major changes in British military psychiatric provision (Winyard, 2001) and the military judicial system (Syal, 2002). The indications are that civilian psychiatrists are likely to become increasingly involved in all aspects of the assessment and treatment of mental illnesses in service personnel. This demands a knowledge of the British military judicial system, and the relationship between mental illness and criminality in the military, extending beyond that usually required of a civilian psychiatrist.