Operationally, these duties fall under the "security and mobility support" discipline of the Military Police Corps.

General George Washington requested that the staff position of Provost Marshal be created to deal with disciplinary issues.

Captain Bartholomew von Heer, a German-speaking officer from Pennsylvania, was appointed as the first commander of the Marechaussee on 1 June 1778.

[5][6] Under the new organization, the Provost Marshal was responsible for soldiers under custody and for punishments, while the Marechaussee was tasked with the enforcement of order within the Continental Army.

The Marechaussee protected the Army's rear and flanks during troop movements, searched for stragglers, guarded river crossings, and engaged in combat when needed, as in the Battle of Springfield.

In the US Civil War, the VRC maintained law and order at garrison areas, while other provost guard units served on the front lines.

The Military Police Training Department was established 9 September 1918 at Caserne Changarnier in Autun, France.

[8] Following the war, Brigadier General Harry Hill Bandholtz, who had served as Provost Marshal of the American Expeditionary Forces, proposed the establishment of a permanent Military Police Corps.

[8] Military Police soldiers moved traffic along the Burma Road, supported amphibious operations on Normandy beachheads,[11] and managed enemy prisoners of war from Italy to the South Pacific.

This was the 793rd Military Police Battalion's (deactivated in 2014) first mission in theater and commemorated this in their coat of arms and unit insignia; which consists of a field of green, a yellow road, and two red disks symbolizing the famed route.

In 1949, the newly formed Defense Department was in the process of reorganizing the Army and plans were developed to disband the Military Police Corps.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, MPs were used extensively to maintain control over the large numbers of detainees being held by coalition forces, as well as helping to conduct raids, convoy security and regular patrols.

(In the 1953 Film Off Limits, Bob Hope plays a character who joins the Military Police so he can train with women.)

[22] The mixed-gender MP Corps is valued in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where cultural taboos may prevent male soldiers from interacting with women.

For both garrison law-enforcement duty as well as for tactical field work, the patch is a subdued brown with black lettering.

The standard personal semi automatic side arm of the United States Army military police, was for many decades the venerable .45 ACP Colt 1911.

Crew-served or vehicle-based weapons used by MP fireteams include the M2 Browning machine gun, M240B, and Mk 19 grenade launcher.

An Army Corps may contain one MP brigade, which is responsible for training and supplying subordinate Military Police units.

CID Special Agents investigate felony crimes, regardless of the incident location, which have an Army nexus.

The United States Army has proponency via FM 19-10 for the special reaction team mission for the Army Military Police Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Marine Corps that responds to the highest-risk situations within a military base or compound.