Law of War/Introduction to Rules of Engagement

Question 1

According to Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Publication (Pub) 1, the law of war is defined as

Answer 1

“that part of war that regulates the conduct of armed hostilities.”

Question 2

The purpose of the law of war is to prevent

Answer 2

unnecessary suffering, safeguard certain fundamental human rights of those involved in a conflict, and to ultimately restore peace.

Question 3

Military necessity is based upon

Answer 3

nature, location, purpose and use.

Question 4

Combatants are defined

Answer 4

as those who are lawfully entitled to engage in hostilities

Question 5

Combatants include

Answer 5

 Members of the armed forces.
 Members of a regular militia or volunteer units.
 Members of guerrilla units.
 Levee en Masse (members of a non-occupied nation who take up arms against an enemy).

Question 6

Characteristics of a combatant include:

Answer 6

 Wearing of a fixed and distinct uniform.
 Open carriage of arms.
 Acting under the command of a responsible leader.
 Obeying the law of war.

Question 7

Examples of noncombatants include:

Answer 7

 Correspondents.
 Technical personnel.
 Contractors.
 Medical personnel.
 Chaplains.
 Other civilians

Question 8

Spies are defined as

Answer 8

those who act under false pretenses in order to obtain information and communicate that information back to a hostile or potentially hostile party.

Question 9

The following rules dictate our handling of detained persons:

Answer 9

Search:
Silence
Safeguard:
Segregate
Speed:
Tag

Question 10

Protected places are buildings or structures that are not considered valid military targets. Examples of these structures are:

Answer 10

 Hospitals.
 Churches.
 Mosques.

Question 11

Lasers are only to be used for their intended use, such as

Answer 11

marking targets and terminal guidance of munitions

Question 12

The Marine Corps defines small arms ammunition as

Answer 12

those of 40mm size and below.

Question 13

Examples of Incendiaries are

Answer 13

 Napalm.
 Flame-throwers.
 White phosphorus

Question 14

Example of Fragmentary ammunition are

Answer 14

mortars and hand grenades

Question 15

Presidential approval is the only authorization that allows which weapons

Answer 15

Riot control agents (such as pepper spray and tear gas)

Question 16

examples of Non-lethal Weapons are

Answer 16

rubber bullets and bean bag rounds

Question 17

Chemical and biological weapons are considered a

Answer 17

“treacherous means of warfare” and are prohibited under the law of war.

Question 18

Examples of Ruses are

Answer 18

 Planting fictitious units via false information.
 Putting up dummy installations.
 False communication transmissions.
 Using a small force to simulate a larger unit.

Question 19

Assassination is the act of

Answer 19

specifically targeting a predominant person, usually an important political figure, to kill.

Question 20

A reprisal attack is a

Answer 20

like response to an illegal attack, such as a chemical response to a chemical attack.

Question 21

Joint Pub1-02, Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms defines Rules of Engagement (ROE) as

Answer 21

those “[d]irectives issued by competent military authority that delineate the circumstances and limitations under which United States forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces encountered.”

Question 22

ROE ensure that national policy and objectives are

Answer 22

reflected in the action of commanders in the field, particularly under circumstances in which communication with higher authority is not possible.

Question 23

ROE provide parameters within which the commander must operate in order to accomplish its assigned mission:

Answer 23

 ROE provide a ceiling on operations and ensure that U.S. actions do not trigger an undesired response or escalation.
 ROE may regulate a commander’s means and method of warfare by granting or withholding the authority to use certain weapons, weapons system, or tactics.
 ROE may also reemphasize the scope of the mission. Units deployed overseas for training exercises may be limited to use of force only in self defense, reinforcing the training rather than combat nature of the mission.

Question 24

US national security interests guide our global objectives of:

Answer 24

 Deterring armed attack against the US across the range of military operations.
 Defeating an attack should deterrence fail.
 Preventing or neutralizing hostile efforts to intimidate or coerce the US by the threat or use of armed force or terrorist actions

Question 25

The new SROE, CJCSI 3121.01B (released 13 Jun 2005), updated the 2000 version of the SROE and added a section on the Rules of Force (RUF) for

Answer 25

domestic operations

Question 26

The SROE applies to all

Answer 26

U.S. forces responding to military attacks within the US, to all military operations outside the US (unless superseded by other ROE that have been approved by the President or Secretary of Defense), and to domestic support operations (RUF).

Question 27

What are Three levels of self-defense

Answer 27

National Self-Defense
Collective Self-Defense
Unit and Individual Self-Defense

Question 28

What are Three Principles of Self-Defense

Answer 28

Necessity
De-escalate.
Proportionality.

Question 29

What is Hostile Force

Answer 29

Any civilian, paramilitary, or military force or terrorist(s), that has been declared hostile by appropriate US authority

Question 30

Positive Identification (PID) – Is it required, needed, useful?

Answer 30

“Positive Identification” (PID) is required for applies for some purposes of mission accomplishment (e.g., engaging a declared hostile force), but not in cases of self-defense (e.g., force used in response to a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent).

Question 31

Commanders are responsible for developing and issuing

Answer 31

ROE

Question 32

the most effective methods of training Marines in ROE are

Answer 32

discussion groups, scenario based training, and the use of pocket cards

Question 33

The end-state is that we will treat all enemies as if

Answer 33

they are protected under the law of war.