Swansenreport

Prosecution

 

Very Different Meanings of “Prosecution”

 

1️⃣ Legal / Criminal meaning

 

In everyday use — and in civilian courts — prosecution means:

 

Bringing formal criminal charges against a person in a court of law.

 

This involves judges, attorneys, indictments, evidence, sentencing, etc.

 

But…

Two

⸻

 

2️⃣ Military meaning — “Prosecution of the Target”

 

In military doctrine, prosecution refers to:

 

Continuing or carrying out a military action against a designated target until mission completion (neutralization, capture, monitoring, surveillance, etc.).

 

This definition appears in:

•U.S. Joint Publication 3-09 (“Joint Fire Support”)

•Joint Publication 3-60 (“Targeting”)

•U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army fire-control manuals

•ROE packets at tactical and operational levels

 

It has nothing to do with courts or criminal charges.

 

In this context, “prosecution” includes:

•Tracking a target

•Maintaining contact

•Evaluating threat behavior

•Engaging if authorized

•Following through until the threat is neutralized or the mission is complete

 

It may involve weapons employment, maneuver, or persistent surveillance.

 

⸻

 

🔍 Examples of “Prosecution” in a Military Sentence

 

“Continue prosecution of the target until further ROE guidance is issued.”

 

→ Means: Keep tracking or engaging the enemy unit.

 

“Air assets are cleared for target prosecution.”

 

→ Means: Pilots may continue attack run or target engagement.

 

“The destroyer will assume maritime interdiction and prosecution of escaping vessels.”

 

→ Means: Continue pursuit or engagement.

 

⸻

 

🔥 Why Does the Military Use the Word “Prosecution”?

 

Because the military borrowed the term from older naval doctrine, where “prosecute” meant:

 

To pursue an enemy or object with the intent to capture, destroy, or maintain contact.

 

It shows up heavily in:

•Anti-submarine warfare (“prosecute the submarine contact”)

•Air interdiction (“prosecute the strike”)

•Special operations (“prosecute HVT movements”)

 

In these contexts, prosecution is more about pursuit, persistence, and completion of the mission.

 

⸻

 

⚖️ How This Causes Confusion in Legal Documents

 

A good example is the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act (MDLEA) or U.S. Coast Guard doctrine.

 

In military/Coast Guard operations, “prosecution” might mean:

•Pursuing a vessel

•Interdicting

•Boarding

•Continuing engagement until resolution

 

But in statutory/criminal context, prosecution means:

•Bringing criminal charges

•Trying the case in court

 

When both communities interact (DoD + DOJ), the same word can mean two different things, which occasionally causes conceptual confusion.

 

⸻

 

🔧 How Military Doctrine Defines It (Short Form)

 

Different manuals define prosecution along the same lines:

 

Joint Publication 3-60 (Targeting)

 

“Prosecution” = engaging a target with fires or maneuver until the target is neutralized, destroyed, or otherwise rendered ineffective.

 

Navy Anti-Submarine Warfare Doctrine

 

“Prosecution” = continuous tracking, classification, engagement, and neutralization of a submarine contact.

 

Air Force Doctrine

 

“Prosecution” = following through with authorized strikes or surveillance until the commander terminates the mission.

 

⸻

 

🧭 Key Point: Intent Determines Interpretation

 

If the context is:

•Operational orders

•Rules of engagement (ROE)

•War-fighting doctrine

•Combat operations

 

➡ “Prosecution” always means military engagement or pursuit, not legal proceedings.

 

If the context is:

•Statutes

•Courts

•Law enforcement

•Judicial review

 

➡ “Prosecution” means legal action.

 

⸻

 

📌 So in a military sense, prosecution means:

 

“Pursuing, engaging, or taking continued action against an enemy or target until the mission is completed.”

 

Not courts. Not lawyers. Not indictments.

 

It is a combat term, not a legal one.