Applying Vague Law to Violence: How the Joint Force Can Master Proportionality Before a High-Intensity War

Abstract

Joint targeting requires the application of both science and art, but warfighters currently lack the artistic tools needed to master the subjective and imprecise legal principles applicable to large-scale combat operations. Senior leaders within the geographic combatant commands, Service component commands, theater special operations commands, and other warfighting headquarters must provide more meaningful targeting guidance and direction about collateral damage tolerance before a potential conflict with a peer or near-peer adversary. A Sino-American war, for example, would necessitate dynamic and massive applications of violence in a domain congested with civilians, civilian objects, and commercial ships. If senior-level commanders expect subordinate commanders to destroy the enemy quickly and efficiently and to mitigate civilian harm in accordance with existing Department of Defense policies, they should: 1) engage more regularly on the topic of collateral damage, and 2) publish scenario-based tactical guides for use in training.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 05, 2023
Accession Number
AD1206158

Entities

People

  • John C. Tramazzo

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Collateral Damage
  • Combat Operations
  • Damage
  • Damage Tolerance
  • Department Of Defense
  • Guidance
  • Targeting
  • Training
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States Special Operations Command
  • Violence
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Systems Analysis and Design