Provides detailed assessments of law applicable to the most difficult problems encountered during modern armed conflicts and coalitions.

Part I. Background and Bureaucratic Formation of the Manual: 1. Framing thoughts on the DoD Law of War Manual and this commentary Michael A. Newton; 2. The US Department of Defense Law of War Manual: why, what, and how Karl Chang; 3. Specifically vague: the defensive purpose of the DoD Law of War Manual Chris Jenks; Part II. Prominent Perspectives on the DoD Manual: 4. Practitioners and the Law of War Manual Charles Dunlap; 5. A NATO perspective on the Manual Steven Hill; 6. A subordinate service perspective on the DoD Law of War Manual Geoffrey Corn; Part III. Substantive Contributions and Controversies: 7. Back to the basics: core law of war principles through the lens of the DoD Manual Ray Murphy; 8. The Manual's redefined concept of non-international armed conflict: applying faux LOAC to a fictional NIAC David E. Graham; 9. Aspects of the distinction principle under the US DoD Law of War Manual Bill Boothby; 10. At war with itself: the DoD Law of War Manual's tension between doctrine and practice on target verification and precautions in attack Peter Margulies; 11. Misdirected: targeting and attack under the DoD Manual Adil Ahmad Haque; 12. Muddying the waters: the need for precision-guided terminology in the DoD Law of War Manual Laurie R. Blank; 13. Detention and prosecution as described in the DoD Manual Andrew Clapham; 14. The DoD conception of the law of occupation Yaël Ronen; Part IV. The Manual's Long Term Prospects and Implications: 15. Commentary on the law of cyber operations and the DoD Law of War Manual Gary D. Brown; 16. The DoD Law of War Manual as applied to coalition command and control Michael A Newton; 17. Armed groups and the DoD Manual: shining a light on overlooked issues Katharine Fortin; 18. Hybrid law, complex battlespaces: what's the use of a law of war manual? Aurel Sari.