Chief Guantánamo Prosecutor Retiring Before Sept. 11 Trial Begins

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins had held the job longest, and was for many years the public face of military commissions.

WASHINGTON — The Army general who has led war crimes prosecutions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for a decade is retiring and handing off the trial of the five men accused of conspiring in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 to an as-yet unchosen successor.

Brig. Gen. Mark S. Martins of the Army served as chief prosecutor for military commissions throughout the Obama and Trump administrations.

His decision to retire came as a surprise because he had obtained an extension to serve in the post until Jan. 1, 2023. Instead, he will retire on Sept. 30, according to a notice sent by Karen V. Loftus, a prosecution staff member, to families of the 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Defense officials said a board was likely to be assembled to select a new chief prosecutor, who will be of the rank of Army colonel or Navy captain rather than the rank of a one-star general.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/us/politics/chief-guantanamo-prosecutor-retiring.html

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/politics/2021/07/09/guantanamo-prosecutor-retires-as-911-trial-remains-elusive/