text: Chapter 1
  Evaluating Military Necessity
  1-27. LOAC seeks to ameliorate any difficulties in applying military necessity in three ways. First, in
  evaluating military necessity, one may consider the broader imperatives of winning the war as quickly and
  efficiently as possible and not be restricted to considering only the demands of the specific situation. Second,
  LOAC recognizes that certain types of actions are militarily necessary per se. For example, an attack on
  enemy combatants is generally lawful. Third, in what is commonly called the Rendulic Rule, LOAC
  recognizes that commanders must assess the military necessity of an action based on the information available
  to them at the relevant time; they cannot be judged based on information that subsequently comes to light.
  HUMANITY
  1-28. Humanity is the LOAC principle that forbids inflicting suffering, injury, or destruction
  unnecessary to accomplish a legitimate military purpose. Humanity is sometimes referred to as the
  principle of avoiding unnecessary suffering or the principle of avoiding superfluous injury. Commanders
  should exercise leadership to ensure that Soldiers and Marines under their command know that cruelty and
  the infliction of unnecessary suffering will not be tolerated.
  Humanity and Military Necessity
  1-29. Humanity is related to military necessity, and these principles logically complement one another.
  Although military necessity justifies certain actions necessary to defeat the enemy as quickly and efficiently
  as possible that are not prohibited by LOAC, military necessity cannot justify actions that are not necessary
  to achieve this purpose, such as cruelty or wanton violence. Moreover, once a military purpose has been
  achieved, inflicting more suffering is unnecessary and must be avoided. Thus, for example, if an enemy has
  been incapacitated (rendered hors de combat) by being severely wounded or captured, no military purpose is
  served by continuing to attack that incapacitated enemy. Enemies who are hors de combat may not be made
  the object of attack and must be treated humanely (see generally Common Article 3). Similarly, humanity is
  the source of the immunity from attack that the civilian population and civilian objects receive because they
  make no contribution to military action.
  Humanity and the Law of Armed Conflict Rules
  1-30. Humanity animates LOAC rules focused on humanitarian concerns, including: fundamental safeguards
  for persons who fall into the hands of the enemy; protections for civilians and civilian objects (see GC section
  II, art. 53; consider AP I, parts II and III); protections for military medical personnel, units, and transports
  (see GWS art. 36-40; consider AP I art. 12, 15, 21-30); protection for enemy wounded and sick, as well as
  respect for the dead (see GWS); restrictions on weapons that may cause superfluous injury or unnecessary
  suffering to combatants (see HR art. 23(e); consider AP I art. 35); and, prohibitions on weapons that are
  indiscriminate by nature, or restrictions on weapons that are indiscriminate in their effects on civilians and
  civilian objects, without special precautions (see CCW; consider AP I art. 51). Humanity is given further
  effect with the development of the derivative principles of distinction and proportionality.
  HONOR
  1-31. Honor is a core Army and Marine Corps value. Honor, also called chivalry, demands a certain
  amount of fairness in offense and defense, and a certain mutual respect between opposing forces. While
  the word “chivalry” is often associated with a specific historical context—a code of ethics or conduct for
  knights in Europe during the Middle Ages—honor draws from warriors’ codes from a variety of cultures and
  time periods (see DOD Law of War Manual, 2.6.1). Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living out
  other core values, such as respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage, in everything
  Soldiers and Marines do. It has been vital to the development of LOAC and continues to give LOAC vitality
  today. Honor also requires adherence to LOAC regardless of the enemy’s level of compliance.
  Certain Amount of Fairness
  1-32. Honor requires a certain amount of fairness in offense and defense. Honor forbids resorting to means,
  expedients, or conduct that would constitute a breach of trust. Honor reflects the idea that parties to a conflict