The Provost Marshal is the officer in the armed forces who is in charge of the military police (often called the provost). There may be a Provost Marshal serving at many levels of the hierarchy and he may also be the public safety officer of a military installation, responsible for the provision of fire and ambulance services as well as law enforcement. A Provost Marshal may also be in charge of the execution of punishments.

Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces Provost Marshal is the head of the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, the investigation arm of the Canadian Forces Military Police.

British Armed Forces

In the British Armed Forces, the Provost (pronounced prov-oh) Marshal is the head of the military police of each service, with the senior military police officers at lower levels being titled Deputy or Assistant Provost Marshals.

German Armed Forces

The chief of the German Military Police (Feldjäger) is called General der Feldjägertruppe (equivalent to Provost Marshal General). The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) do not have a specific title for military police officers so in most tactical units and especially in multinational deployments, they will use the English term "Provost Marshal."

United States Armed Forces

In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, the senior military police officer is the Provost Marshal General (PMG) (Army) or Provost Marshal (USMC). The PMG was a post that was reinstated in 2003, having being abolished for 29 years. The PMG is in charge of both the United States Army Military Police Corps and U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) policy and procedures from his office in The Pentagon. The current PMG is Brigadier General Rodney L. Johnson. His predecessor was Donald J. Ryder.

The senior MP officer at the theatre level and for each garrison is known as a provost marshal. In European garrisons, the provost marshal is called the Director of Emergency Services, responsible for the provision of fire as well as law enforcement services.

See also

• Provost (civil)
• Provost Sergeant
• Military police