In militaries, a general order is a published directive, originated by a commander, and binding upon all personnel under his command, the purpose of which is to enforce a policy or procedure unique to his unit's situation which is not otherwise addressed in applicable service regulations, military law, or public law. A general order has the force of law; it is an offense punishable by court martial or lesser military court to disobey one. What makes it a general order (as opposed to a direct order), is that the actor is not explicitly named, nor precisely that (or whom) which is to be acted upon.

List of notable general orders

Historical

• General Orders for Sentries - often referred to as the 11 General Orders.
• General Order № 1 - General Douglas MacArthur's first order to the forces of the Empire of Japan following the Japanese surrender in World War II
• General Order № 11 (1862) - an American Civil War order expelling Jews from areas of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky
• General Order № 11 (1863) - an American Civil War order expelling inhabitants of certain Missouri counties
• General Order № 100 - an American Civil War order which expressly forbade giving no quarter to the enemy

In fiction

• A set of general orders, including the Prime Directive, has been established in Paramount Pictures' source documentation to govern the Starfleet organization in the Star Trek fictional universe.

Main article: Starfleet General Orders

• General Order № 24 Destruction of all life on a planet, issued by Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek episode #23 A Taste of Armageddon. He issued the order on stardate 3192.1 to be executed "in two hours," targeting Eminiar VII. Kirk was being held captive on the planet at the time he gave the order. The only recorded instance of this order actually being carried out was the first issue of the non-canon Gold Key Star Trek series: "PLANET OF NO RETURN."

See also

• direct order
• standing order

Military law | General orders