The Law of Armed Conflicts: New Military Technology

What is the Law of Armed Conflicts? In the words of Karl A. Kaszuba, Lt Col, USAF, it is:

“[The law of armed conflict’s] raison d’ etre is to establish minimum standards of human decency on the battlefield.”6 Its principles are, in essence, a set of rules generally accepted by a majority of nation-states which embody humanity’s standards for the conduct of warfare beyond which is considered excessive brutality unnecessary for the conduct of warfare.”

This law was put into place during the Geneva Conventions to promote as much world peace and fairness as possible during times of war. The law focuses on many aspects of combat, but for the purpose of this blog, I pulled 5 that I believe are most important.

1. Military Necessity
2. Proportionality
3. Discrimination
4. Humanity (Unnecessary suffering)
5. Collateral Damage

To better understand the "rules" of war, watch this video.

Modern Controversies surrounding the Law of Armed Conflicts

Blinding Laser Weapons: 



These weapons have the ability to purposefully and permanently blind enemies from miles away. Because the damage they would inflict upon enemy soldiers would be long lasting and irreversible even after combat is finished, some institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross view it as a violation of international war-time law. The Red Cross places this weapon into the category of causing unnecessary suffering. Others, such as the Judge Advocate General of the Army, do not view this weapon as a violation of the conflict law. What do you think?

Acoustical Weapons: Sonic Guns



This technology has previously been utilized by the British Military as a way to humanely calm rioters and protesters by emitting low frequency sounds below the pain threshold. These sounds gently vibrate the inner ear and create feelings of slight discomfort. However, the potential for these weapons to inflict long-lasting harm upon enemies if the frequency is changed is the  reason for controversy. If the frequency of these sounds are altered, vibrations can occur not only within the ear but the rest of the internal organ systems as well, resulting in various malfunctions. 

Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) G20 Pittsburgh

So why is this law important? Why do we worry about morality and fairness in regards to war activity? When I first read about the Law of Armed Conflicts, I did believe that it was a bit odd to try and "police" war. War itself is supposed to be brutal, and people are always going to be hurt or killed. However after conducting more research on the subject, I realize that the Law of Armed Conflict exists to not make war more moral, but at least more humane.