DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN MILITARY COMBAT OPERATIONS 4120/002 10.2013 2000 10.2013 4120/002 International Committee of the Red Cross 19, avenue de la Paix 1202 Geneva, Switzerland T +41 22 734 60 01 F +41 22 733 20 57 E-mail:
[email protected] www.icrc.org © ICRC, October 2013 DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN MILITARY COMBAT OPERATIONS PREFACE Every state has an obligation to ensure respect for the law of armed conflict. The ICRC is mandated to support states in these efforts and does so through a range of activities, including promoting the integration of appropriate com- pliance measures into military doctrine, education, training and sanctions, with a view to ensuring that behaviours of those engaged in armed conflict comply with the law. The present note is designed to support the integration of the Law of Armed Conflict into military decision-making processes, primarily at the operational level. It is not based on any specific national doctrine. It is designed to support those responsible for developing national doctrine and operational planning procedures in their efforts to integrate the Law of Armed Conflict into military practice. The desired outcome is staff procedures which ensure the development of military plans and orders that accurately and effectively integrate compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict into operational practice, thereby reducing the effects of armed conflict on those who do not, or no longer, participate in the hostilities. The techniques of warfare change rapidly, particularly at times when combat operations are commonplace. The humanitarian impact of conflict is timeless. The Law of Armed Conflict is designed to limit the humanitarian consequences of war.