![]() ![]() Solis noted that while he believes that the military is effective at making sure that every service member knows about IHL, he is less certain that the training itself is always effective. Additionally, repeated exposure to IHL makes it impossible to claim that “I was just following orders” as a defense for following an unlawful order and committing a potential war crime. ![]() It is this knowledge of IHL that allows for the military to effectively prosecute war crimes when they arise. This ability to issue orders with the confidence that those orders will be followed is what guarantees that all soldiers and service members will be exposed to IHL. ![]() He noted that the military is very good at one thing – giving orders. He began with an outline of what the military does well, including making sure that all service members receive humanitarian law training initially but also on an ongoing basis. Because even war has limits and IHL is a critical part of that. It gave the audience, me included, a unique view into how International Humanitarian Law (IHL) is taught to members of our armed forces. As a summer intern with the American Red Cross, I got a front-row seat for his presentation, which was both compelling and flawlessly delivered. Each year, teachers from around the country flock to Washington to learn more about including the subject of human dignity, war and conflict and other humanitarian issues into their classrooms. Gary Solis – 26-year Marine veteran, lawyer, Georgetown Law adjunct professor, and author of The Law of Armed Conflict: International Humanitarian Law in War – spoke last week at the Exploring Humanitarian Law Summer Institute on the subject of the United States Military and the Law of Armed Conflict. This blog post is authored by Adriana Aristeiguieta, an intern this summer in the Office of the General Counsel’s office. ![]()
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