The Sofa Agreement, also known as the Status of Forces Agreement, is a bilateral treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States. This agreement governs the legal status of American servicemen and women stationed in the UK and outlines the rights and privileges they are entitled to while on British soil.

The Sofa Agreement was first signed in 1951 and has since been revised several times. The most recent version of the agreement was signed in 1995 and remains in force to this day.

One of the key provisions of the Sofa Agreement is that American servicemen and women stationed in the UK are subject to American military law, rather than British law. This means that they are not subject to the jurisdiction of UK courts and cannot be prosecuted under UK law for crimes committed while on duty.

However, this does not mean that American servicemen and women stationed in the UK are above the law. Under the Sofa Agreement, the US military retains the right to prosecute its personnel for crimes committed while on duty, and the UK has the right to request that American personnel be prosecuted for crimes committed off-duty.

In addition to outlining the legal status of American personnel in the UK, the Sofa Agreement also covers a wide range of other issues, including the use of military facilities and the payment of taxes and customs duties.

Overall, the Sofa Agreement is an important treaty that helps to govern the relationship between the US and UK military. While it has faced criticism from some quarters for giving American personnel immunity from UK law, it remains an essential component of the special relationship between the US and UK.