Mark S. Martins

In 2013, the army extended Martin's retirement beyond the scheduled late 2014 date, then to 2019, and finally to 2023. In 2021, he decided to retire effective September 30, 2021, before the start of the 9/11 trials. Martins' retirement announcement came as a surprise to many, though Martins was actually due to retire many times before 2021.

In a lecture following his acceptance of Harvard Law School's Medal of Freedom in 2011, Martins said:

Martins became the Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions in 2011 at Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp. During this time, he reportedly requested not to be considered for a promotion as Martins was in-line for a promotion to major general, though he felt that a promotion would be disruptive to his work in Guantánamo.

Since becoming a judge advocate, Martins has held a number of positions. This includes Trial Counsel, Chief of Legal Assistance, Chief of Administrative Law, Operational Law Attorney, and Senior Trial Counsel for the 101st Airborne Division. Martins was also the Instructor of International and Operational Law and deputy director of the Center for Law and Military Operations.

In the fall of 2010, Martins assumed command of the new Rule of Law Field Force - Afghanistan, which works to transform problem areas into secure and accountable legal environments.

In September 2009 he was appointed the Deputy Commanding General of Joint Task Force 435, charged with reforming military detention operations in Afghanistan. During this time, he also co-led the interagency Detention Policy Task Force. By February 2010 he was overseeing detainee operations at the Detention Facility in Parwan (DFIP) which replaced the Bagram Theater Internment Facility.

From 2006 to 2008, Martins led the Rule of Law campaign for Multi-National Force - Iraq. While in Iraq, Martins coordinated the work of United States and coalition investigative, corrections, and judicial experts and directed MNF-I support to Iraq's courts and law enforcement institutions. He is reportedly a close friend of General David Petraeus, and the two frequently went running together in Iraq.

He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1983, graduating first in his class of 833 students. After graduation, Martins attended Army Ranger School. He was then awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and attended Balliol College at the University of Oxford, graduating with a Master of Arts (MA) in 1985 with first class honors.

Martins commissioned into the Infantry Branch of the US Army and served as a platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division in 1983. In 1987, he was accepted into the Army's Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP). Upon his graduation from Harvard Law School in 1990, Martins became a judge advocate in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps.

Mark Steven Martins (born July 26, 1960) is a retired United States Army officer. He attained the rank of brigadier general in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. Martin's final position was Chief Prosecutor of Military Commissions, overseeing the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four co-defendants.