The Military Court Service: what it is, what it does, and recent updates

# What the Military Court Service is

Service (MCS) provides criminal courts for service personnel in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. It administers three principal routes: the Court Martial, Summary Appeal Court and the Service Civilian Court. The MCS centralises guidance, documents and practical information that legal representatives, service members and administrators need to prepare for service justice proceedings.

# What you'll find on the MCS guidance page

The official guidance page collects operational material and links in one place. It includes:

• Court guides (Court Martial and Summary Appeal Court guides, Volumes 1 and 2).
• Forms used in service court business, including Special Measures applications and Section 28 forms.
• Case management resources, notably the MCS Case Center (previously Caselines) and user guides.
• Videos and images of court centres to help visitors and participants prepare for attendance.
• Contact details for court centres such as Bulford and Catterick, and court administration telephone numbers.

# Recent changes and updates (selected)

The MCS guidance page records a steady stream of updates. Relevant changes since 2024 include:

• A new MCS Strategic Plan 2026–2030 was added to the site to explain the service's forward programme.
• A Catterick Military Court Centre ruling was added in late September 2026, and Court Martial Appeal Court material notes CMAC sat at Catterick for the first time earlier in 2026.
• Court guides and operating procedures have been revised multiple times, including a Court Martial Board Standard Operating Procedure and updates to volumes of the Court Martial and Summary Appeal Court Guide.
• Multimedia materials were updated with British Sign Language (BSL) versions for Bulford and Catterick court centre videos.
• Administrative updates cover telephone numbers for court centres, the Court Martial Report Service, and contact details.
• Case Center adoption developments: registration links, user guides, and where-to-assign-documents guidance have been added or revised.

# Practical implications for users

If you are a service member, legal representative or court staffer, use the MCS site as your primary source for:

• The latest court procedural guides and any volume updates before attending or preparing filings.
• Case Center registration and the user guides that explain document assignment and acceptable use policies.
• Contacting the correct court centre by checking the updated telephone numbers on the page.
• Accessing forms you may need for applications (Special Measures, Section 28 capability) and updated transcript request or staged direction forms.

# Documents and media to check first

• Court Martial and Summary Appeal Court Guides (Volumes 1 and 2).
• Court Martial Board Standard Operating Procedure.
• MCS Case Center User Guide and the where-to-assign-documents guidance (mentions of PJ1, V1 & V2 placements).
• Videos of Bulford and Catterick courts (BSL versions available).
• Transparency pages for sentencing remarks and recent rulings.

# Where to go next on the site

Start with the organisation and procedures sections, download the current court guides and the Case Center user guide, then check the recent updates list for any changes relevant to your case or attendance. Use the contact information to confirm court centre details and telephone numbers before travel or filing.

# Bottom line

The MCS guidance page is an operational hub for the service justice system. It brings together procedural guides, forms, multimedia orientation, case management tools and contact details. Regular updates—procedural, administrative and multimedia—mean the page is the working reference to use when preparing for service court business.