Nontraditional Uniforms Do Accord Prisoner of War Status for Special Operations Forces

Abstract

Although SOF may be more effective than conventional armed forces for certain missions, the unconventional operational methods of SOF create a chink in their armor not faced by the conventional armed forces. The nontraditional attire worn by SOF while operating in enemy territory, rather than traditional uniforms, arguably result in forfeiture of prisoner of war (POW) status for SOF under the law of war. Wearing a traditional uniform is not the combatant's sole means of distinguishing himself from the civilian population. SOF operating wearing nontraditional uniforms in enemy territory should not be declared spies because they wear distinctive clothing that distinguishes them from civilian populations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 31, 2003
Accession Number
ADA417084

Entities

People

  • Robert J. Drone

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Civil War
  • Combat Control Teams
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Intelligence Collection
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Special Operations Forces
  • Terrorism
  • Treaties
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Materials Science