Continuity mistake: Just as the F-14's are coming under fire from the ship, we are shown the pilots. One of the pilots, "Pendry" was killed when his F-14 crashed due to a malfunction in the earlier episode 'Pilot Error'. As such, "Pendry" could not have been fired on in this episode since he was already deceased.
Other mistake: Throughout the whole show there are several shots of submarines, aircraft carrier landings, chopper flights that are exactly the same in different episodes.
Factual error: Throughout the series the captains of ships are generally portrayed as holding the rank of captain, regardless of the class and size of the ship they command. In reality the rank of the CO of a frigate would most likely be a Lt.Cmdr or Cmdr whereas the CO of a amphibious ship or a carrier would be a Captain. On these larger ships the XO usually holds the same rank as the CO, but obeys all orders given by him. However unlike in JAG the CAG takes most orders from the carrier group commander (2 star), not the CO.
Other mistake: I was so bugged by protocol errors in early episodes that I stopped watching. For example, there were at least 2 episodes where Navy or Marine officers in utility uniforms were wearing Army brass on their collars. In one episode, "Harm" is walking with his female partner through a garage. He returns the salute of an enlisted man who walks by, but she doesn't. In any event, the garage was indoors, where Naval Service protocol says you don't salute.
Continuity mistake: Just before Kate asks Rabb if he was a pilot she starts to take a drink from her cup. The shot changes she starts to take a drink again. (00:38:30)
Continuity mistake: When Rabb & Kate arrive on the Seahawk, they are not wearing the proper life-vests, etc.
Continuity mistake: Throughout the episode, Harm is referred to as "Lieutenant Commander", and wears the respective insignia. But he's still a lieutenant at this point; he isn't promoted for another three episodes. This occurred due to several season 1 episodes being aired in the wrong order, with the DVDs going by the same broadcast order.
Continuity mistake: When Captain Boone descends to engage the Hind, they are in forested mountains. It then cuts to the Hind, and there are no trees, then after the tomcat crew punch out, the RIO is hanging in the trees. The scenes that showed the Hind were cut from the movie Red Dawn.
Other mistake: After the first meeting with the JAG team and Secretary Blair to negotiate The Return of the F-14, Captain Fuente refers to Meg as "lieutenant commander". Harm is the LCDR; Meg is a lieutenant, junior grade. It's not just a character mistake: Meg's shoulder insignias indicate her rank. (00:24:30)
High Ground - S1-E16
Audio problem: When Meg is preparing to join the Marines to search for Harm and Gunny Crockett, Col. Gordon warns her to cover her back. His mouth is very obviously saying "cover [your] ass."
Continuity mistake: The death of the astronaut occurring while practicing the escape in the bucket would never happen in real life. That is because when NASA conducts them in real life before a shuttle launch, the crew practices everything up to entering the bucket. NASA does not want to run the risk of their astronauts being injured during a simple practice.
Factual error: NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building is located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida - not Vandenberg AFB, CA.
Continuity mistake: The hull number on the ballcaps of the sailors on the USS Daniel Boone doesn't match the hull number of the ship used to portray it. The hull number on the caps, DDG-72, is currently assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class Destroyer, USS Mahan.
Deliberate mistake: Because the series changed networks after the end of season one, this episode completely ignores that season's cliffhanger about Harm being arrested as a suspect in the murder of Lt. Schonke.
Continuity mistake: When Lt. Roberts is held hostage in Admiral Chegwidden's office with the Admiral and the Major, he mentions a sister named Winifred. She is never mentioned again throughout the series. In later seasons it is implied that Lt. Roberts only has one sibling, a brother named Mikey.
Continuity mistake: After Harm's cockpit canopy is smashed, he and Ayers continue to fly with their masks off - one would have thought that wearing oxygen masks would have made things easier in that situation.
Visible crew/equipment: When Rabb and Bud meet Elaine on the beach a boom Mic is visible.
Revealing mistake: As Harm & Mac are returning to the US, we are told they are flying out of London Heathrow. But the stock footage of an airport used is actually London Gatwick, identified by its distinctive control tower, and not Heathrow.
Answer: Officially, the individual has been ordered to attend, failing to could be interpreted as either, Failure to follow orders, dereliction of duty, going AWOL, or even desertion. It would depend on the underlying reason as to why the person doesn't appear.