Some Criminal Offenses Committed Overseas by DOD Civilians Are Not Being Prosecuted: Legislation Is Needed

International law recognizes that a host country has criminal jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel stationed in that country. Negotiated agreements allowing the United States to exercise jurisdiction over service members stationed overseas give it criminal jurisdiction over many offenses committed by service members that otherwise would have been prosecuted by the foreign country or not prosecuted at all. The United States has virtually no criminal jurisdiction over the 343,000 civilian personnel and dependents accompanying the armed forces overseas. These civilians are subject to foreign criminal jurisdiction which is not always exercised.