text: Preface
  Commanders, staffs, and subordinates must ensure that their decisions and actions comply with applicable
  U.S., international, and in some cases host-nation laws and regulations. Commanders at all levels will ensure
  that their Soldiers or Marines operate in accordance with the law of armed conflict (LOAC) and applicable
  rules of engagement.
  This publication provides guidance to Soldiers and Marines on the doctrine and practice related to customary
  and treaty law applicable to the conduct of warfare on land and to relationships between opposing
  belligerents, in order to train and prepare for combat operations. Although some of the legal principles set
  forth herein also apply to warfare at sea and in the air, this publication otherwise concerns itself with the rules
  peculiar to naval and aerial warfare only to the extent that such rules have some direct bearing on the activities
  of Soldiers and Marines operating on land.
  This is an official publication of the U.S. Army and a referenced publication for the U.S. Marine Corps. It
  does not necessarily reflect the views of other Department of Defense (DOD) components or the DOD as a
  whole. This publication is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
  enforceable at law or in equity against the United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its
  officers or employees, or any other person.
  The principal audience for this publication is Army and Marine Corps commanders as well as Army and
  Marine Corps judge advocates. Commanders and staffs of Army and Marine Corps headquarters serving as
  joint task force or multinational headquarters should also refer to applicable joint or multinational doctrine.
  Trainers and educators throughout the Army and Marine Corps will also use this publication where
  appropriate. This publication often describes legal concepts in general terms for non-lawyers rather than
  exhaustively.
  As stated in DOD Directive 2311.01E, the Department of Defense Law of War Manual (June 2015, updated
  December 2016) is the authoritative statement on the law of war for the Department of Defense. The DOD
  Law of War Manual provides more detail on and discussion of the legal rules and concepts discussed in this
  manual and addresses other law of war topics. Soldiers and Marines may find it useful to consult Air Force
  and Navy publications on the law of war when addressing issues related to the air and sea domains.
  This publication uses joint or DOD terms where applicable. Selected joint, DOD, and Army terms and
  definitions appear in both the glossary and the text. When terms are defined by this publication as the
  proponent for the Department of the Army and the Marine Corps, the terms and definitions are boldfaced and
  italicized in the text and marked with an asterisk (*) in the glossary. For other definitions shown in the text,
  the term is italicized and the number of the proponent publication follows the definition.
  This publication uses some joint approved and some nonstandard abbreviations for treaty names to enhance
  readability. The table preface-1 on page vi provides a list of the treaty name abbreviations used in this
  publication. Readers should consult the Appendix to obtain the full citation for these and other major treaties
  concerning the law of land warfare.