Military Justice in Modern History: The Adjudication of War and Violence in a Globalising World, edited by Kelly Maddox, Tino Schölz and Urs Matthias Zachmann and funded by the Freie Universität Berlin. This book will be available starting Dec. 29, 2025.
Rear Admiral (ret) William D. Baumgartner, former Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard, insightfully reviews several pressing current issues -- Nazi symbols, drug interdiction, boat strikes, orders -- on Joel Rubin's Making Sense of the World podcast. You can find the interview here.
Remember this case? The High Court has ruled for the plaintiff, including an award of damages. Details here. Excerpt from Newsday's account:
Pierre, who has served 29 years in the Regiment and has held the rank of Warrant Officer Class II since July 2019, argued that commanders used performance appraisals not recognised in the Regiment’s Standing Orders and failed to substantiate negative claims about his “mannerisms” and “tone.” He said those allegations, made by a junior officer, were never investigated or supported with evidence and resulted in lower annual ratings that disqualified him under the disputed system.
The court agreed, ruling that the Chief of Defence Staff and the Commanding Officer of the TT Regiment failed to annually appraise Pierre, verify complaints against him, or provide performance feedback before drafting his confidential reports. The judge declared that promoting junior officers ahead of Pierre was unlawful and that he had a legitimate expectation of being promoted as of February 5, 2024.
James ordered the defendants to pay $50,000 in compensatory damages and $50,000 in vindicatory damages and directed that legal costs be assessed if not agreed. The court also found that the Regiment’s alleged “mathematical equation” system, under which mixed biannual ratings were combined to produce a lower annual score, had no basis in standing orders or approval from the Defence Council.
Five general officers in Malawi think not, and have gone to court to press the point. Details here. Excerpt:
Inside MDF sources paint an even darker picture. Four of the senior officers--[Major Generals] Soko, Kalisha, Banda and Dzoole--have been posted as Directors of Security at ADMARC, NOCMA, Water Board, and EGENCO, while Brigadier General Mchungula has been dispatched to ESCOM in the same capacity.
To many observers, the redeployments bear the markings of political interference, stripping the military of its independence and scattering its top brass into parastatals at a time when stability, discipline and strategic leadership are most needed.
With the matter now before the High Court, pressure is intensifying on the Mutharika administration to explain why decorated military leaders are being moved like political pawns--and whether the rule of law still governs decisions at the highest levels of government.
