Targeted Killing, An Option for the Operational Commander

Abstract

This paper examines the viability of targeted killing as a tool for the operational commander. Targeted killing, not to be confused with assassination is the intentional slaying of a specific individual or group of individuals undertaken with explicit government approval. The author reviews current U.S. and international legal basis to illustrate the unclear context of targeted killing. Included is an examination of rules of self-defense and law of armed conflict related to the current Bush Doctrine of preemption. Following a historical review of U.S. actions, an analysis of targeted killing heads of state and transnational terrorists concludes that the U.S. should not target political leaders but should indeed target transnational terrorists. The author recommends that the planning and execution should be done at the operational level of war and makes recommendations to the operational commander for improving likelihood of success.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 06, 2007
Accession Number
ADA476442

Entities

People

  • Scott R. Bischoff

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assassination
  • Collateral Damage
  • Congress
  • Governments
  • International Law
  • Law
  • Law Enforcement
  • National Security
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Urban Areas
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies