How is military law different from military government in occupied territory?

Military law and military government are distinct concepts with different scopes and applications.

Military Law

Military law is the specific code of laws and regulations designed to maintain discipline within the armed forces. It primarily governs the conduct of military personnel, ensuring they fulfill their duties as soldiers while remaining accountable to ordinary and international law. While some jurisdictions allow for civilians to be tried under military law in specific circumstances—such as during wartime or for offenses like treason—it is fundamentally a disciplinary system for service members.123

Military Government

In contrast, military government refers to the administration of occupied territory by an occupying power. This involves the exercise of executive, legislative, and judicial authority over a region when the legitimate government is unable to function. Unlike military law, which focuses on internal discipline, military government is an administrative function applied to a territory and its population due to the presence of hostile armed forces.1

It is important to distinguish these from martial law, which is the temporary enforcement of order upon a civil population by military forces, typically during domestic disorder.12