Working Group 5 Military Law and Ethics
Military justice systems, International law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, rules of engagement, jus in Bello, jus ad bellum, jus pos bellum, status of forces agreements, pre-emptive action, moral dilemmas, values and transmission of values.
The court martial of US Colonel William (Billy) Mitchell in 1925 for insubordination provides an historical example of the application of military law and ethics to civil military relations.
John T. Correll (2012) The Billy Mitchell Court-Martial. Air Force Magazine..
Current Chairs and Contacts for Working groups.
David Turns, PhD
Senior Lecturer, Department of International and Operational Law, Swedish Defence University
David.turns@fhs.se
Website: David Turns
LinkedIn
Mr. Olavi Jänes is serving as a Legal Advisor to the Baltic Defence College. In addition to his core tasks, he delivers education to the Baltic Defence College’s courses related to legal issues relevant to planning and conducting military operations. He also contributes as a mentor and/or a legal advisor in in-house and external staff exercises.
Mr. Jänes is a graduate of the University of Tartu and has acquired LL.M. in European and International Law from the Riga Graduate School of Law. He has extensive teaching experience from Tallinn Law School and he has supervised a number of M.A. dissertations in a variety of legal subjects.
Before coming to the Baltic Defence College, Mr. Jänes led the civil law branch of a Tallinn law firm. Before that he served as an advisor to the Legal Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament. He has also advised the Estonian Ministry of Defence on the practical implementation of the status of forces agreements and participated as an expert in the review process of Estonian defence-related legislation.
Past Chairs:
Afton Maisonneuve, Thales Canada and Canadian Armed Forces
Daniel P. Sommers, Pacificus Group and Canadian Armed Forces
Commander Fredrik Holst, Swedish National Defence College
Professor Dr. Maja Eriksson, Swedish National Defence College
Scope: the aim and purpose of the Working Group
This working group seeks jurists, philosophers and practicing military lawyers who have an interest in contemporary military operations and their legal aspects. A wide range of legal and philosophical subjects are of interest to the contributors in this working group.
Keyword descriptors
Law, ethics, norms, rules, regulations, military law, trials, morals, morality, courts, law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law
Topics addressed in previous conferences
Security and Law; “Lawfare”; Legal and Ethical Implications of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems; Rules of Engagement in peacekeeping;
Current Working Group Activities
The working group is looking for contributors to prepare an annual digest of new and influential materials, including books, journal articles, and research projects, for the benefit of participants and institutional members.
History of the Working Group
This is one of the original eight working groups of the ISMS established at Amsterdam in 2008.
Related Contact information
International Committee of the Red Cross
Competition on International Humanitarian Law for Military Academies (San Remo)
You may also be interested in...
Ethics and International Affairs, the Journal of the Carnegie Council, the Journal of the Carnegie Council
Guide to Researching Military Law, University of Windsor, Canada, University of Windsor, Canada
Journal of Conflict and Security Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford University Press
