The following is referred to as General Order Number One (G.O. #1). All U.S. servicemembers in Southwest Asia are bound by the Uniform Code of Military Justice to obey the contents of this order. The bolded sections (introduction,3, 5, and 10) apply specifically to culture-specific restrictions.

G.O. #1 is based upon Islamic law and Arabic customs that prohibit or restrict certain activities which are generally permissible in western societies. Restrictions on these activities are essential to preserving good relations with the host nation. Therefore, under Title 10, United States Code, Section 164 and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), Title 10, United States Code Sections 801-946, all military personnel assigned or attached to duty with the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) and to USCENTAF (FWD) units located in the USCENTCOM AOR are prohibited from certain activities.

The following activities are prohibited:

1. Purchase, possession, use or sale of privately owned firearms, ammunition, explosives, or the introduction of these items into the USCENTAF AOR.

2. Entrance into a mosque or other site of Islamic religious significance by non Moslems unless directed to do so by military authorities or required by military necessity, or as part of an official tour conducted with the approval of military authorities and the host nation.

3. Introduction, possession, use, sale, transfer, manufacture or consumption of any alcoholic beverage within countries of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In all other countries of the JTF-SWA/USCENTAF (FWD) AOR, the U.S. military will follow appropriate deportment and abide by host-nation laws and customs. Because of the high operational tempo and the various threats faced by U.S. forces in the region, it is prudent to exercise active control over certain activities in order to maintain good order and discipline and ensure optimum readiness. Accordingly, in all locations where alcohol is not prohibited by this General Order, commanders and unit chiefs a re directed to exercise discretion and good judgment in promulgating and enforcing appropriate guidelines and restrictions, regularly reviewed to ensure they are commensurate with current or foreseen operations and threats.

4. Introduction, purchase, possession, use, sale, transfer, manufacture or consumption of any controlled substances or drug paraphernalia. Prescription drugs must be accompanied by the original prescription label of the prescribing medical facility or authority.

5. Introduction, possession, transfer, sale, creation or display of any pornographic photograph, videotape, movie, drawing, book or magazine or similar representations. For purposes of this order, "pornographic" means any medium which displays human genitalia, uncovered women's breasts or any human sexual act. It is intended to include not only "obscene items", but items of "art" which display human genitalia, uncovered women's breasts or any human sexual act. In addition, the introduction, possession, transfer, sale, creation or display of any sexually explicit photograph, videotape, movie, drawing, book or magazine is also prohibited. For purposes of this order, Asexually explicit" means any medium displaying the human anatomy in any unclothed or semi clothed manner and which displays portions of the human torso (i.e., the area below the neck, above the knees and inside the shoulder). By way of example, but not limitation, are body building magazines, swim-suit editions of periodicals, lingerie or underwear advertisements and catalogues, as well as visual media which infer but do not directly show human genitalia, women's breasts, or human sexual acts. The prohibitions contained in this subparagraph do not apply to materials displayed or obtained by or from AFPTS, AAFES or MWR outlets in the JTF-SWA/USCENTAF (FWD) AOR.

6. Gambling of any kind, including sports pools, lotteries and raffles unless permitted by host-nation laws and service/component regulations.

7. Removing, possessing, selling, defacing or destroying, archeological artifacts or national treasures.

8. Selling, bartering or exchanging any currency other than at the official host-nation exchange rate.

9. Adopting as pets or mascots, caring for, or feeding any type of domestic or wild animal.

10. Proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice.

11. Taking or retaining individual souvenirs or trophies. Explanation of this prohibition is as follows:

(1) Private or public property may be seized during exercises or operations only on order of the commander based on military necessity. Such property will be collected, processed, secured and stored for later return to the lawful owner. The wrongful taking private property, even temporarily, is a violation of Article 121, UCMJ;

(2) Public property seized by the U.S. Armed Forces is the property of the United States. the wrongful retention of such property is a violation of Article 108, UCMJ;

(3) No weapon, munitions, or military article of equipment obtained or acquired by any means other than official issue may be retained for personal use or shipped out of the JTF-SWA/USCENTAF (FWD) AOR for personal retention or control;

(4) This prohibition does not preclude the lawful acquisition of souvenirs that can be legally imported into the United States;

12. Attendance at host-nation public disciplinary proceedings of any kind including public executions.