• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Chapter II

TACTICS, TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES (TTP)
IN SUPPORT OF OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR (cont)

DISCUSSION: ROE lessons are useful to leaders at all levels who are planning other-than-war operations or who are preparing units for peacekeeping or peace enforcement missions. The lessons focus on, and amplify, key aspects of ROE. Tactical leaders should consider these lessons and incorporate them, into unit training and operations.

PURPOSE: ROE must preclude indiscriminate use of deadly force while simultaneously allowing soldiers sufficient latitude to defend themselves. The fundamental premise of self-defense must be sustained. Soldiers must believe they can survive within the rules; ROE must meet their hierarchy of needs. Viewed in this context, ROE are soldier support factors as well as operational or tactical parameters.

DEVELOPMENT: ROE must be skillfully integrated into a combination of peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and humanitarian support operations, carefully tailored to comply with operational and political concerns.

MEASURED RESPONSE: ROE must incorporate criteria which clearly outline the application of a graduated use of force to provide the balance needed to defuse, escalate, or otherwise resolve and confrontation. The degree of force used to neutralize a threat should conform to the circumstances of the incident. Defining ROE in terms of graduated levels of response enables tactical elements to apply the force necessary to meet varying levels of violence which characterize peacekeeping and peace enforcement environments - while minimizing collateral damage.

DISSEMINATION: ROE must be published in writing, disseminated within the command, and thoroughly understood by all leaders and soldiers.

DISSEMINATION OF CHANGES: Changes to ROE must also be made in writing and quickly disseminated within the command. ROE are so important that command emphasis is needed to ensure that prompt, written dissemination of changes is carried out by staff and subordinate commanders.

FOCUSED TRAINING: In an environment where random shooting and sniping are prevalent or possible, only trained, disciplined soldiers are likely to exhibit the degree of restraint needed in operations other than war. Vignettes and situational training exercises, specifically focusing on ROE and led by NCOs, are essential in developing soldiers skills on how to respond to a variety of situations, when to use deadly force, and when and how to apply nondeadly force.

FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP: When ROE are applied in actual situations, NCO leadership, experience, and maturity are always key factors in determining the appropriate response for the circumstances. Our experience in Somalia, Los Angeles, and Macedonia reaffirms the perennial lesson that good NCOs come form good soldiers and good soldiers come from good recruiting.

STANDARDIZATION WITHIN A COALITION: When a command is made up of coalition forces, application of ROE may vary based on the degree of emphasis placed on it by different coalition force commanders, variance in training among coalition forces, varying levels of experience by coalition fores in interacting with the local people, and differing interpretations of criteria outlining the graduated use of force. Senior coalition commanders must make a concerted effort to standardize interpretation and application of common ROE by all forces in the coalition.

LESSON(S): Soldiers must know and clearly understand the ROE.