To fans of DC Comics, Green Lantern is known as one of the foremost peacekeepers of the galaxy; however many fans still debate whether the Corps is an army or a police force. When events like Sinestro War unite the Corps to fight in massive-scale battles, it’s easy to see the Green Lanterns as soldiers in an army. On the flip side of this, series like The Green Lantern really delve into the law enforcement and protection side of the Corps. Because of the different portrayals of the Green Lantern Corps, the debate lingers: are they an army intent on wiping out major threats, or a police force dedicated to keeping the peace?
Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Kyle Rayner wield their rings for the Green Lantern Corps as soldiers in intergalactic crises, and many Earth Lanterns are drawn from the ranks of the military. Yet most of the language used by the Guardians and Lanterns is police jargon, and they ultimately try to imprison their foes when they can. The difference is important, as the Corps is ultimately imposing its will on the universe, so the nature of the organization is core to the basic nature of its authority.
Back in 2005, in JLA: Classified #11, writer Warren Ellis and artist Butch Guice actually provided some closure to this debate, making it clear the Green Lanterns are and always have been an intergalactic police force. Kyle Rayner recounts a story of the first intelligent life in the cosmos emerging into a “world of fog.” One of the first things that this life set out to accomplish was establishing a police force and indicating their presence and protection with an iconic green lantern.
While it seems that the responsibilities of the Green Lantern Corps can sometimes wander into fighting in huge battles, their authority in the galaxy stems from the concept of acting as police. As pointed out by Kyle Rayner, the lore of the Green Lanterns is deeply ensconsced in protecting and serving, all the way from the beginning. The Book of Oa outlines these principles and establishes the codes and ideals that the Corps lives by. Green Lanterns are assigned to a sector, must patrol that sector, and are required to obey the orders of the Guardians. While the myth Kyle shares may not be true, it does show how the Corps sees itself at a fundamental level - not as a collection of warriors, but as individual champions of law and order.
The Green Lantern Corps has always been meant to be a police force, only going to war in extraordinary circumstances, and usually against competing Corps. In this context, the motto, "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might beware my power, Green Lantern's light" is even more impactful. The Corps seeks out evildoers and brings them to justice. While the Green Lantern Corps may have many of the affectations of a military, it is at heart a police force, as shown by its deepest lore and the foundational myth of the first Green Lantern.
