Military interpreting is a high-demand and high-stakes area of translation studies. Legal language and military operational language are worlds apart, however, creating a divide that provides unique challenges in terms of linguist talent competency, cultural context knowledge, and ethical obligations. This paper discusses some of the challenge’s military interpreters are faced with when working with legal texts and legal situations, such as accuracy, appropriate use of terms and concepts, rhetorical equivalent, and the handling of matters sensitive content. Based on broadly established conceptual frames from Translation Studies, Legal Translation theory and Military Interpreting scholarship, it seeks to examine the potential for engendering serious consequences of mistranslations and terminological errors in military-legal contexts – such as miscarriages of justice, operational failures or violations of international humanitarian law. The article also presents ethical issues specific to interpreters in military contexts such as conflicting roles, divided loyalties (as an aide for the armed forces) and stress from high-pressure interpreting tasks. It concludes that military interpreters must be trained in legal translation within a specialized interdisciplinary framework, which encompasses linguistic cultural competence, ethical awareness, and strategic communication skills.