England, who is seven months pregrant, is charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners, posing for various photographs and "indecent acts," including possession of sexually explicit photographs. She faces up to 38 years in prison if convicted of all charges. Some of the pictures, widely circulated over the internet, show her dragging a prisoner with a dog leash and grinning as she points at prisoners' genitals.

Agencies said a smartly uniformed and grim faced England refused to speak to the media as she walked into the courtroom with her lawyers. The hearing will decide whether the case merits a court martial.

Earlier, England and her attorneys have said she was just following orders.