JBER Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board protects service members and families

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Javier Alvarez
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  In January 2015, after Washington state passed Initiative 502, which decriminalized the possession of marijuana, dozens of businesses were sent letters informing them they were off-limits to all service members.

Currently, there are no off-limits locations to service members near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson – however, since Alaska became the third state to legalize recreational marijuana in 2015, that will likely change as JBER’s Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board convene for their quarterly meeting in January.

Despite state legislation, pot remains illegal for military personnel, said Eric Carlson with the 673d Security Forces Squadron. Businesses in Alaska whose sole industry is the sale of marijuana will likely be off-limits locations to service members.

“If that’s what they’re in business to do, there’s no legitimate reason for a service member to be on the premises,” Carlson said.

Alaska Soldiers have already been barred from attending events that involve the promotion of use of marijuana or hemp, through a policy issued by Maj. Gen. Bryan Owens, commander of U.S. Army Alaska.

While pot might be the current point of contention for JBER’s AFDCB, the groups agenda goes beyond marijuana-related issues.

The AFDCB is designed to protect service members and their families against any condition which adversely affect safety, health, welfare and morale for the base, said Air Force Capt. Angelina Myers, assistant chief of administrative law with the 673d Air Base Wing Judge Advocate.

“We’ve had establishments where there was a higher-than-normal incidence of assaults or the brandishing of firearms,” Carlson said. “In the interest of keeping service members away from those types of establishments, we use this forum to identify those locations and consider them for off-limits.”

For a business to be considered off-limits, the board must first be made aware of it, Carlson said. This can be done at the lowest level, with Airmen or Soldiers voicing their concerns though their chain of command. Local law enforcement will also advise the board on locations and trends that are high risk.

Once the board votes to consider a business for review, a letter is drafted, informing the company, Myers said. The business is given the opportunity to respond.

“If the business is responsive and changes the issue in question we won’t mark them off-limits and that’s the end of it,” Carlson said. “If they don’t change their ways and the negative activity persists we typically put them off-limits. We usually give them a second opportunity to fix issues. It’s not a unilateral action.”

Service members who frequent establishments on the off-limits list can be charged under Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, failure to follow orders or regulations.

The specific punishment is decided by the base commander.

“If you’re having issues with businesses – along with talking to your chain of command, legal assistance is always here to be a support,” Myers said. “We help Airmen and Soldiers and retirees and their dependents with personal consumer affairs. We can serve as a recourse for that.”