Executive Order 12633 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12633—Amending the Code of Conduct for Members of the Armed Forces of the United States

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Monday, March 28, 1988

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2 min read (308 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Ronald Reagan on 1988-03-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Amending the Code of Conduct for Members of the Armed Forces of the United States." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ 10631, of August 17, 1955, as amended, is further amended as follows: Section 1.

▪ The second paragraph is amended to read as follows: "All members of the Armed Forces of the United States are expected to measure up to the standards embodied in this Code of Conduct while in combat or in captivity.

▪ To ensure achievement of these standards, members of the armed forces liable to capture shall be provided with specific training and instruction designed to better equip them to counter and withstand all enemy efforts against them, and shall be fully instructed as to the behavior and obligations expected of them during combat or captivity.".

▪ 10631, are amended to read as follows: "I "I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments

Total Words

308

1,713 characters

Estimated Read Time

2 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 12633, Ronald Reagan (Mar 28, 1988). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12633-amending-the-code-conduct-for-members-the-armed-forces-the-united.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, in order to remove gender specific terms, Executive Order No. 10631, of August 17, 1955, as amended, is further amended as follows: Section 1. The second paragraph is amended to read as follows: "All members of the Armed Forces of the United States are expected to measure up to the standards embodied in this Code of Conduct while in combat or in captivity. To ensure achievement of these standards, members of the armed forces liable to capture shall be provided with specific training and instruction designed to better equip them to counter and withstand all enemy efforts against them, and shall be fully instructed as to the behavior and obligations expected of them during combat or captivity.". Sec. 2. Articles I, II, and VI of the Code of Conduct for Members of the United States Armed Forces, attached to and made a part of Executive Order No. 10631, are amended to read as follows: "I "I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense. "II "I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist. "VI "I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.". RONALD REAGAN The White House, March 28, 1988. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:27 a. m., March 29, 1988]