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Michael Schmitt

Michael Schmitt (BlueskyLinkedIn) is Professor of International Law at the University of Reading, Distinguished Scholar at NYU School of Law’s Reiss Center on Law and Security, Affiliate at Harvard Law School’s Program on International Law and Armed Conflict, and Visiting Research Professor at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law. He formerly served as the G. Norman Lieber Distinguished Scholar at West Point, Chair of the Stockton Center for International Law at the US Naval War College, where he is Professor Emeritus, Dean of the George C. Marshall Center European Center for Security Studies, and Professor of Law at the University of Exeter, Durham University, and the United States Air Force Academy. Professor Schmitt is a retired U.S. Air Force judge advocate, having specialized in international and operational law, and graduate of the U.S. Naval War College (1st in Class) and Air War College. He is the General Editor of the Lieber Studies series (OUP) and sits on many international law advisory and editorial boards.

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Three cone shaped flags on poles, Israel, Iran, United States, isolated on a transparent background (via Getty Images).
Handout photo taken on March 11, 2026 and released by the Royal Thai Navy shows smoke rising from the Thai bulk carrier 'Mayuree Naree' near the Strait of Hormuz after an attack. (Photo by Handout / ROYAL THAI NAVY / AFP via Getty Images)
Wide view of highway road, a tall plume of dark grey smokes rises from the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai, under a hazy, grey sky.
Wooden gavel on a blue background with glowing digital circuit patterns, representing the connection between the legal system​ and data privacy​.​ (via Getty Images)
File photo of Iranian frigate IRIS Dena from 2021 commissioning. Photo Credit: MojNews, Wikipedia Commons
Wide view of Tehran’s skyline with several tall plumes of grey smoke rising between apartment buildings under a hazy, grey sky.
Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sails alongside Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship
Screenshot of the OLC Memo
The Marinera oil tanker is seen on January 14, 2026 in Hopeman, Scotland. The Marinera oil tanker, previously known as the Bella 1, has entered UK waters at the request of the US to be replenished with "essential supplies." The Russian-flagged tanker was seized by US forces on 7 January 2026, between Iceland and Scotland, for allegedly violating sanctions by transporting oil for Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Heavily armed law enforcement patrol outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is being held before his trial on January 4, 2026 .
A smartphone displays a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on the Truth Social platform showing a composite image featuring Trump alongside U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, with the U.S. flag and a sign reading Greenland, U.S. Territory Est. 2026, while a map of Greenland is visible in the background, on January 20, 2026 (Photo illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images)

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