TSgt PDG - 6B Law of Armed Conflict questions and answers 2023.

The Law of War, also known as the Law of Armed Conflict, is the part of international law that regulates the resort to armed force and belligerent occupation. What else does it regulate? The conduct of hostilities and the protection of war victims in both international and non-international armed conflict and the relationship between belligerent, neutral and non-belligerent states. DoDD 2311.01E, DoD Law of War Program, requires each military department to design a program to ensure Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) observance and prevent LOAC violations. What else does it require? That each military department 1.) ensures prompt reporting of alleged LOAC violations 2.) appropriately trains all forces in the LOAC 3.) completes a legal review of all new weapons The LOAC trainings is an obligation of the US under the provisions of what treaty? 1949 Geneva Conventions Which publication requires that all personnel receive instruction on the principles and rules of the LOAC commensurate with their duties and responsibilities? AFI 51-401, Training and Reporting to Ensure Compliance with the LOAC Name three groups who receive additional specialized LOAC training to address unique issues they may encounter. Aircrews, medical personnel and security forces What is the foundation of the LOAC? Customary internal law and treaties (Everyone subject to US laws must observe the US' LOAC obligations) Which Article of the US Constitution states that treaty obligations of the US are the "supreme law of the land"? Article VI T/F: According to the US Supreme Court, US international legal obligations and customs are not part of US law. False Why must military personnel, civilians and contractors authorized to accompany the armed forces in combat follow the LOAC when planning and executing combat operations? Because treaties and international agreements enjoy equal status to laws passed by Congress and sign by the President. (Those who violate the LOAC may be criminally liable and court-martialed under the UCMJ) What five important LOAC principles govern armed conflict? 1.) Military necessity 2.) distinction 3.) proportionality 4.) humanity 5.) honor Which LOAC principle justifies the use of all measures needed, that are not prohibited by the law of war, to defeat the enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible? Military necessity According to the LOAC principle of military necessity, which classes of persons are considered military objectives and may become objects of attack? 1.) Combatants 2.) unprivileged belligerents 3.) civilians taking a direct part in hostilities List some examples of military objectives that may be targeted under the LOAC. Tanks, military aircraft, bases, supplies, lines of communications and HQs. T/F: Under the LOAC, military necessity does not authorize all military action and destruction. True (Military actions never authorizes actions specifically prohibited by the LOAC) Which LOAC principle forbids unnecessary suffering, cruelty, wanton violence or making enemy combatants the object of attack when they have been placed hors de combat? Humanity Give several examples of weapons banned because they cause superfluous injury, unnecessary suffering and are inherently indiscriminate. Posion of poisoned weapons and chemical, biological and bacterial weapons. T/F: Rifles are lawful weapons that may be used unlawfully to shoot POWs, strafe civilians, or fire on shipwrecked mariners or downed aircrews. True Under the LOAC, _______ mean discriminating between the civilian population (or individual civilians not directly participating in hostilities) and combatant forces. Distinction Civilians objects are protected from attack. What are some examples of civilian objects? Places of worship, schools, hospitals and dwellings. When may civilians objects lose the LOAC protection? When they are used to make an effective contribution to military action. Under the LOAC, are defenders required to separate military targets from civilians and civilian objects? Yes Employing human shield to protect military objectives is a fundamental violation of the LOAC principle of _______. Distinction T/F: Proportionality generally applies to the persons conducting the attacks, though it may also apply to the subject of the attack, who must take feasible precautions to reduce incidental harm. True Does the LOAC principle of proportionality require attackers to expose their forces to extraordinary risks to avoid or minimize civilian losses? No Which LOAC principle requires a certain amount of fairness in offense and defense, and reflects that conflicting parties must accept certain limits on their ability to condict hostilities? Honor What does the LOAC principle of honor prohibit? 1.) Killing or wounding enemy persons by resorting to perfidy 2.) misusing certain sign 3.) fighting in the enemy's uniform 4.) seeking military advantage by feigning non-hostile relations 5.) compelling nationals of a hostile party to take in operations of war directed against their own country The Geneva Conventions consist of four separate international treaties. What do they aim to do? Protect those taking no active part on hostilities, including armed forces members who have laid down their arms and those places hors de combat. The Geneva Conventions distinguish between what three groups of people? 1.) Combatants 2.) noncombatants 3.) civilians What are the three classes of persons deemed "lawful" or "privileged" combatants under the Geneva Conventions? 1.) Members of the armed forces of a state that is a party to a conflict 2.) members of militias or volunteer corps that are not part of the armed forces of a state 3.) inhabitants of an area who participate in a kid of popular uprising to defend against foreign invaders Under the Geneva Conventions, what is required of combatants? According to the LOAC combatants must 1.) be commanded by someone responsible for subordinates 2.) wear distinctive, faced emblems recognizable at a distance, such as uniforms 3.) carry arms openly 4.) conduct combat operations according to the LOAC ________ include certain military personnel who are members of the Armed Forces, but who are not authorized to engage in combatant activities. Noncombatants Under the Geneva Conventions, noncombatants cannot be made the object of attack, and must be ________ and ________. Respected; protected Under what circumstances may civilians suffer injury or death without the attack violating the LOAC? Incident to a direct lawful attack on a military objective T/F: Civilians who take a direct and unauthorized part in hostilities are still protected from direct attack, per the LOAC. False (They are considered unprivileged belligerents and can become object of attack when participating in hostilities.) T/F: The Geneva Conventions do not describe unprivileged belligerents. True What happens to an unprivileged belligerent who violates the LOAC? He or she becomes a lawful target and may be tried as a criminal If there is doubt about a captured individual's LOAC status, what protections should the individual receive until his or her status is determined? Those of the Geneva POW Convention The LOAC principle of military necessity authorizes aerial attacks on combatants and other lawful military objectives. Define lawful military objectives. Objects or installations that by their own nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization offers a definite military advantage. How does the LOAC protect civilian populations? It forbids attacks not justified by military necessity against cities, towns or villages, and forbids attacking civilians for the sole purpose of terrorizing them. Which personnel are critical in deterring the propriety of targets and the choice of weapons when planning an attack? Judge advocate, intelligence and operations personnel Examples of objects specifically protecting under the LOAC include medical units or establishments and transports of wounded and sick personnel. Name five others. 1.) Military and civilian hospital ships 2.) safety zones established under Geneva Conventions 3.) religious, cultural and charitable buildings 4.) monuments 5.) POW camps When may objects that are normally protected from direct attacks lose their protects status? When they are used for military purposes. According to the LOAC, what is the only place enemy military aircraft may not be attacked or destroyed? In neutral airspace or territory According to the LOAC, when may Airmen who parachute from a disabled aircraft be attacked? When they resist, or are downed behind their own lines and continue to fight Name two conditions that allow civil aircraft in flight to be lawfully attacked. 1.) When the civil aircraft initiates an attack 2.) when a reasonable suspicion of hostile intent exists