This article explores the divergent approaches to judicial independence in the military trial courts of Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom – four Commonwealth countries from four different continents with shared legal traditions, as well as both domestic and international human rights obligations. The article critically examines international and domestic jurisprudence which has considered, or which is relevant to, the judicial independence of military trial courts. The article concludes with a brief discussion of whether it is possible to draw conclusions about a model for judicial independence in military trial courts operating in the common law world.