Environmental Concerns of Operational Warplanning.
Abstract
As a combatant commander plans for an operation, whether by the deliberate or crisis action process, he will be tasked in countless areas. In reviewing history, the minor impact that the environment played in those plans was usually of an exploitative vice protective nature. In today's operations, concern for the environment has grown in scope due to the international spotlight and the need to maintain popular support for military contingencies. The development and evolution of the Laws of Armed Conflict, specifically the Environmental Laws of War (ELOW), have made it at the most illegal and at the least unseemly, to deliberately target the environment irrespective of whether or not it has military value. While most democratic and just societies like the U.S. will abide by the ELOW, nations can choose to ignore them as Saddam Hussein did in the Gulf War. The combatant commander must concern himself with environmental factors primarily in two ways: (1) to ensure that deliberate environmental targeting is not a part of the plan while taking care to minimize collateral damage in order to comply with ELOW and maintain the moral high ground and, (2) to ensure that own and host nation forces are adeouately protected if an opponent chooses to ignore the ELOW. A list of environmental concerns is provided for the consideration by the planning staff.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 16, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA328133
Entities
People
- Stephen W. Jordon
Organizations
- Naval War College