Rules of Engagement: An Overview

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- AN OVERVIEW
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DEFINITION

• Rules of Engagement (ROE) are orders issued by
  competent military authority that define the
  extent to which military personnel may use force
  in self-defense or to accomplish their mission.

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HISTORY OF U.S. ROE

• 1962- First Standardized ROE- for maritime units
• 1986- Standardized ROE for all joint forces
• 1994- Standing ROE for both peace war

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PURPOSE OF ROE

• Command Control Tool
• For National Civilian Leaders
• self-defense guidance
• mission accomplishment guidance
• For Military Commanders
• ensure compliance with civilian strategic
  guidance
• self-defense mission accomplishment

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FACTORS AFFECTING ROE

• National Policy Objectives
• Operational Situation Requirements
• Legal Obligations
• domestic international

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FACTORS AFFECTING ROE
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ROE FOR UNIT SELF-DEFENSE

• U.S. commanders
• always retain the right obligation respond to
  a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent
• may use all necessary means available and take
  all appropriate action
• to defend the unit, including elements
  personnel, or other U.S. forces in the vicinity

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INDIVIDUAL SELF-DEFENSE

• A U.S. service member may
• use all necessary means available and take all
  appropriate action
• in self-defense defense of other U.S. forces in
  the vicinity
• in response to a hostile act or demonstrated
  hostile intent.
• Unit commander may limit individual self defense

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ELEMENT OF NECESSITYIN SELF-DEFENSE

• U.S. View hostile act or hostile intent
• Determining hostile intent involves many
  factors
• if time circumstances allow, commander should
  first warn

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ELEMENT OF PROPORTIONALITYIN SELF-DEFENSE

• Only amount of force required to decisively
  counter hostile act or hostile intent
• pursue and engage only if hostile person or force
  continues to commit hostile acts or demonstrate
  hostile intent

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ROE FOR MISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT

• 2 Types of U.S. supplemental measures
• certain lawful tactics weapons requiring
  Secretary of Defense or Combatant Commander
  approval
• limits imposed by commanders on all other lawful
  tactics weapons

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ROE FORMISSION ACCOMPLISHMENT

• Tactical commander may issue restrictive-type
  ROE for clarity
• ROE more restrictive than those approved by
  Secretary of Defense must be notified to
  Secretary
• ROE cards issued to individual service members

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ROE U.S. MISSION PLANNING PROCESS

• Joint Planning Process
• Deliberate Planning
• Crisis Action Planning
• President or Secretary of Defense may choose to
  approve ROE
• once OPLAN approved tactical ROE are set

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U.S. ROE CRISISACTION DEVELOPMENT
SECDEF / JCS /Interagency Allied or Coalition
Leaders
Who?
Strategic
Combatant Commander
Operational
Joint Task Force
Operational/ Tactical

Component Commanders
Tactical
ARFOR
MARFOR
AFFOR
NAVFOR
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IMPLEMENTING ROE AT TACTICAL LEVEL

• Do not include
• strategy doctrine
• restatement of law of armed conflict
• tactics
• safety-related restrictions
• Provide understandable, memorable, applicable
  ROE

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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict
No translation
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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict

• Strategic mission guidance from the Diilsland
  Minister of Defense
• deploy to Flatland
• conduct combat operations with Flatland forces to
  destroy Redland military units in Flatland
• only air operations in Redland against military
  objectives supporting invasion
• respect neutrality of other nations
• minimize harm to civilians
• enforce contraband regime against Redland

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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict

• Operational Level Supplemental Measures

Pre-existing Self-Defense Measure 01 02- unit
individual self-defense against attack or
threat of imminent attack Supplemental
Self-Defense Measures 05- self- defense of
Flatland units personnel 06- self-defense of
Flatland civilians 08- self-defense of military
equipment property
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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict

• Operational Level Supplemental Measures

15- Entry into land territory, internal waters,
territorial sea, and airspace of Flatland is
authorized. 31- Entry into airspace of Redland is
authorized. 32- Do not approach Blueland and
Hilly borders closer than 15 kilometers. 19- On
order, Redland units and personnel are declared
hostile and may be attacked.
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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict

• 24- Use of all types of conventional weapons
  necessary to accomplish the mission is
  authorized.
• 28- Minimize incidental injury to civilians and
  collateral damage to civilian objects.
• Tactical Supplemental Measures
• 25- Positive identification is required prior to
  opening fire.
• 29- Do not target military objects which are also
  civilian infrastructure, lines of communication,
  or economic targets except in self-defense.

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ROE EXAMPLEInternational Armed Conflict

• Land Forces Supplemental Measures
• 42- Use of unobserved fires in built-up areas
  prohibited.
• 43- Deployment of non-command-detonated
  anti-personnel mines requires the prior approval
  of the Land Force Commander.
• Maritime Forces Supplemental Measures
• 109- Visit search merchant vessels in
  international waters approaching N. Republic
  Blue escort vessels carrying contraband to
  Diilsland

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Mission
• Assist in implementing ensuring compliance
  with Military Technical Agreement
• Self-Defense
• 1. You have the right to use necessary and
  proportional force in self-defense.
• 2. Use only the minimum force necessary to
  defend yourself.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• General Rules
• 1. Use the minimum force necessary to accomplish
  your mission.
• 2. Hostile forces/belligerents who want to
  surrender will not be harmed. Disarm them and
  turn them over to your superiors.
• 3. Treat everyone, including civilians and
  detained hostile forces/belligerents,
  humanely.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• General Rules (Continued)
• 4. Collect and care for the wounded, whether
  friend or foe.
• 5. Respect private property. Do not steal. Do
  not take war trophies.
• 6. Prevent and report all suspected violations
  of the law of armed conflict to superiors.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Challenging and Warning Shots
• 1. If the situation permits, issue a challenge
• in English NATO! Stop or I will fire!
• or in Serbo-Croat NATO! Stani ili pucam!
• 2. If the person fails to halt, you may be
  authorized by the on-scene commander or by
  standing orders to fire a warning shot.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Opening Fire
• You may open fire only if you, friendly forces,
  or persons or property under your protection are
  threatened with deadly force. This means
• 1. You may open fire against an individual who
  fires, or aims his weapon at, or otherwise
  demonstrates an intent to imminently attack you,
  friendly forces, or persons/property with
  designated special status under your protection.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Opening Fire (Continued)
• 2. You may open fire against an individual who
  plants, throws, prepares to throw, or otherwise
  demonstrates an in intent to imminently attack
  with an explosive or incendiary device- you,
  friendly forces, or persons/property with
  designated special status under your protection.
• 3. You may open fire against an individual who
  deliberately drives a vehicle at you, friendly
  forces, or persons/property with a designated
  special status under your protection.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Opening Fire (Continued)
• 4. You may also fire against an individual who
  attempts to take possession of friendly force
  weapons, ammunition, or property with designated
  special status, and there is no other way of
  avoiding this.
• 5. You may use minimum force, including opening
  fire, against an individual who unlawfully
  commits, or is about to commit, an act which
  endangers life, or is likely to cause serious
  bodily harm, in circumstances where there is no
  other way to prevent the act.

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Minimum Force
• 1. If you have to open fire, you must
• - fire only aimed shots, and
• - fire no more rounds than necessary, and
• - take all reasonable efforts not to
  unnecessarily destroy property, and
• - stop firing as soon as the situation permits.
  

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ACTUAL TACTICAL ROEKFOR Kosovo Card

• Minimum Force (Continued)
• 2. You may not intentionally attack civilians or
  property that is exclusively civilian or
  religious in character, except if the property is
  being used for military purposes or engagement is
  authorized by your commander.

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IMPLEMENTING ROE AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL

• TRAINING is Critical!
• General ROE Training
• Tactics, Techniques, Procedures
• ROE Scenario Brief
• Situational Training Exercises

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CONCLUSION

• ROE are a command control tool
• Must factor in national policy, operational
  situation requirements, and the law
• Separate ROE for self-defense and mission
  accomplishment
• Time resources must be devoted to training
  personnel in the ROE

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