See Find Law's Military Criminal Law section for related articles and resources. Each branch of the military used to have its own set of rules governing fraternization, but this changed in 1999 when the Department of Defense issued a issued a uniform policy for all branches to follow.

The policy specified certain relationships that are always improper such as relationships between officers and enlisted service members that are personal, involve ongoing business, or involve gambling.

-- You are a Soldier who enjoys working on computers, so you help out the battalion command sergeant major with his home computer during your free time.

The Air Force places a high value on professional relationships within its ranks, which are vital to the functional effectiveness of the service.

The Air Force and its work environments differ greatly from what you find in a civilian work environment, with missions involving difficult challenges, hardships and the potential for injury and even death.

As such, unit cohesion, morale, good order, ​discipline and respect for authority are essential to mission success, and anything that might interfere with the interests of the Air Force.

None of these relationships require any element of a sexual nature; they simply have to cause an actual or perceived situation, which negatively impacts a unit's good order and discipline.With all the changes Do D is making to placate the minoritygroups (i.e.DADT repeal, grooming for certain groups) why has no one looked atthe officer/enlisted relationship issue.However, any other type of relationship can also be prohibited if it has an adverse effect on a unit or chain of command, which can include just the appearance of impropriety.That being said, a certain level of fraternization among service members of different ranks and positions is often encouraged in the military, such as softball games or other team building events.