Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of
Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, ''
provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal is now usually a senior
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
, they may be a person of any rank who commands any number of MPs; historically, the title was sometimes applied to
civilian officials, especially under conditions of
martial law, or when a military force had day-to-day responsibility for some or all aspects of civilian
law enforcement (such as some
British colonies). A provost marshal may also oversee
security services
Security Service or security service may refer to:
Government
* Security agency, a nation's institution for intelligence gathering
* List of security agencies (MI5, NSA, KGB, etc.)
* (SD), Nazi German agency which translates as "Security Servi ...
,
imprisonment
Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...
,
fire/
emergency services and
ambulances.
British Armed Forces
In the
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
, the provost marshal is the head of the military police of each service, with the senior military police officers at lower levels being titled deputy or assistant provost marshals. In many cases the provost marshal is in charge of discipline. Provost Marshal is the oldest extant appointment in the British Army. It dates back to early Tudor times but the office was probably in existence in the 12th century. By the end of the 17th Century each
regiment had its own provost marshal under the Provost Marshal General. Currently, the Provost Marshal (Army) is also the commander of the
1st Military Police Brigade
The 1st Military Police Brigade (1 MP Bde) is a policing formation of the British Army, which is the only one-star command of the Royal Military Police. The brigade was formed in 2014, but due to be reduced to a Colonel's command in 2022 and re ...
.
Canadian Forces
The
Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (CFPM) is the branch advisor for the
Canadian Forces Military Police Branch, and also the Commander of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group (CF MP Gp). The CFPM is headquartered in Ottawa and has five sections, each under the command of a Deputy Provost Marshal (DPM): DPM Police, DPM Resource Management, DPM Individual Training and Education, DPM Security, and DPM Professional Standards.
The CF MP Gp is composed of the
Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS), Military Police Security Services (MPSS), Canadian Forces Service Prison and Detention Barracks (CFSPDB), and Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFMPA).
German Armed Forces
The chief of the German Military Police (''
Feldjäger'') is called ''General der Feldjägertruppe'' (equivalent to provost marshal general). The German Armed Forces (''
Bundeswehr'') do not have a specific title for military police officers so in most tactical units and especially in multinational deployments, they will use the English term ''provost marshal''.
New Zealand Defence Force
The Provost Marshal of the Joint Military Police Unit holds a senior commissioned rank. Currently a Colonel holds the Provost Marshal position for the NZDF.
The Provost Marshal is responsible for all three military police units from the Navy, Army and Air Force.
United States Armed Forces
In the
United States Army and
United States Marine Corps (USMC), the senior-most military law enforcement officer is the
Provost Marshal General (PMG) (Army) or provost marshal (USMC). The US Army PMG is a post that was reinstated in 2003, having been abolished 29 years earlier. The PMG is a general in charge of the
United States Army Military Police Corps,
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and
United States Army Corrections Command (ACC) policy and procedures from the Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG) at
The Pentagon.
The senior MP officer at the theater, corps, division, and brigade level and for each garrison is known as a provost marshal. In many US Army garrisons, a provost marshal is at times also responsible for the provision of fire and physical security as well as law enforcement services and thus is also referred to as the Director of Emergency Services (DES).
Other uses
The British far-right group
Britain First also use the rank, presumably as head of their
paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...
wing 'Britain First Defence Force', with provision for two "provosts marshal" in their official group constitution.
[https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/britainfirst/pages/46/attachments/original/1509640571/CONSTITUTION_VERSION_1.1.pdf?1509640571 ]
See also
*
Provost (civil)
Provost is a title held by the civic heads of local governments in Scotland. It is similar in use to the title of mayor in other parts of the English-speaking world.
In the 32 current unitary councils in Scotland, the title is often used for ...
*
Provost Sergeant
References
External links
{{Refimprove, date=October 2016
Canadian Forces Provost Marshal website
Military provost ranks