Orders and Regulations-Why Its Important and Why the Marine Corps Needs It

Orders and regulations have existed throughout the entire world dating back to even the most ancient civilization. This is because without order and regulation comes chaos and confusion, and with chaos and confusion, the United States of America as we know it today would not be present. An order is defined as an authoritative command, direction, or instruction to do something. A regulation is defined as a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

The purpose of both orders and regulations is for a government to function properly without any errors. All orders must go through a chain of command. A chain of command is defined as a hierarchy of authority where those at the top of the organization direct and control the activities of the organizational members below them. An order starts with the authority with the most power. The authority with the most power would be the President of the United States. The President’s order is given and then goes through a chain of command and could go all the way down to the smallest level of authority to carry out this order.

A slightly more detailed definition of regulation is a rule of order having the force of law, prescribed by a superior or competent authority, relating to the actions of those under the authority’s control. There are millions of various types of regulations followed by civilians and employees within this entire nation. The United States Marine Corps has its own regulations that all Marines must follow and abide by. These regulations are called Marine Corps Orders (MCO). There are thousands of Marine Corps Orders. Marines in the Marine Corps must also follow regulations that do not refer to only the United States Marine Corps but also refers to the rest of the military branches of the United States Military. These regulations include the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), the 12 general orders of a sentry, and the Geneva Convention.

"I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend...