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Legal Information: Federal

Domestic Violence in the Military

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Updated: 
October 9, 2019

How long does an MPO last?

MPOs are generally short-term and can last as little as ten days, but can be longer, if needed.1 An MPO is generally issued initially for the period of time that it will take the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) to gather details for the commander about the abuse and the relevant history involving you and the abuser. The MPO may be extended based on ongoing concerns of risk or threats to you.

The victim advocate at your installation will know how long it generally takes for the FAP to provide the commander with complete assessment results. If you can get that information from the victim advocate, you may want to ask the commander to take that timeframe into account when issuing the MPO.

The time period of an MPO should be long enough to allow FAP to complete their assessments and for the situation to improve. Your MPO may include an estimated expiration date. However, whether it has a date or not, the commanding officer may review the MPO at any time to change or rescind (end) it. The order is in effect until the Command cancels it, regardless of what date, if any, is entered as an expiration date.1

Also, keep in mind that an MPO is only enforceable while the service member is attached to the command that issued the order. When the service member is transferred to a new command, the order will no longer be valid. A new MPO would have to be issued by the new command.

1Department of Defense Instruction, Number 6400.06, Incorporating Change 4, May 26, 2017