The Army had a fiscal 2020 budget of $182 billion and 1,200,434 total personnel. The Office of the General Counsel is comprised of an executive section, four legal practice groups and one program. The general counsel directly heads the executive section and is assisted by a principal deputy general counsel.
• Serves as counsel for the Army, the secretary of the Army and other secretariat officials and coordinates legal and policy advice to all other members of headquarters, Department of the Army.
• Determines the Department of the Army position on any legal question or procedure.
• Establishes and administers the department’s policies concerning legal services, to include supervision over and professional guidance to all Department of the Army attorneys and legal offices.
• Oversees compliance with the Freedom of lnformation Act and the Privacy Act within the department, including any action on behalf of the Secretary on appeals from denials of information and ensuring proper resolution of issues involving access to information in Army records.
• Serves as the designated agency ethics official for the Army and exercises final authority within the department for all ethics matters.
• Provides legal review of all legislative proposals of interest to the Army.
• Provides guidance with respect to representation of the department and protection of its interests in litigation and in all other legal proceedings and coordinates on all recommendations to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding whether to file an appeal with a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Exercises the secretary’s oversight of intelligence and counterintelligence activities and monitors sensitive activities for legality and propriety.
• Coordinates with the Department of Defense, the other military departments and other federal agencies Offices of General Counsel on all Army legal matters and oversees the department’s compliance with Office of Special Counsel requests for investigation.
• Takes final action on claims filed against the Army under the Military Claims Act, the National Guard Claims Act, the Foreign Claims Act and Maritime Claims Act.
• Exercises technical supervision over the Office of the Judge Advocate General, the Office of the Command Counsel, Army Materiel Command and the Office of the Chief Counsel, Corps of Engineers.
• Provides legal advice on Army acquisition, logistics and technology programs.
• Serves as a special member of the Army Systems Acquisition Review Council and provides legal representation to the Army Contract Adjustment Board and the Defense Acquisition Regulatory Council.