Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)
609 Articles

Trump’s Explanation for His Administration’s Use of Military Force Due Today
As I discuss in a piece over at Defense One, today is the deadline for the Trump administration to provide a detailed explanation to Congress on its legal and policy basis for…

Cyber Operations and the U.S. Definition of “Armed Attack”
[Ed. Note: Based on Goodman's remarks at U.S. Cyber Command’s Annual Legal Conference.]
A widely accepted view of the UN Charter is that a State can use force…
A widely accepted view of the UN Charter is that a State can use force…

Important Report by White House on National Security Due Soon
The executive branch owes it to Congress—and all of us—to deliver the answers Congress has demanded to do the critical job assigned to our national legislature and serve the…

Will the Next Use of Force “Transparency Report” be Transparent? Devil May be in Classified Details
Congress recently required the President to submit a report that describes the administration’s legal and policy positions on the use of military force and related national security…

Doe v. Mattis: Is the War on ISIS Legal?
Many members of Congress, including those who voted for the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs, feel they haven’t authorized the current fight against ISIS. Unless the executive branch prolongs…

Episode 60 of the National Security Podcast: TL;DL – This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
An over-long episode with a short title to reflect a very busy–and somewhat bizarre–eight day stretch in the wide world of national security law. This week, your hosts Professor…

The “Shift Cold” Military Tactic: Finding Room Under International Law
It should surprise no one that evolving military practice raises novel legal questions. It may surprise many that the increasing use of “shift cold” techniques by advanced…

The “Shift Cold” Military Tactic and International Humanitarian Law
New technology allows for new military tactics in urban warfare. Legal questions have been raised about a military practice--called "shift cold"--in which an operator redirects…

“Reasonable Certainty” vs “Near Certainty” in Military Targeting–What the Law Requires
Former deputy legal counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Commander (ret.) Mike Adams and former Special Counsel to General Counsel of the Dep’t of Defense, Ryan…

Episode 59 of the National Security Law Podcast: Share the Cookies
We don’t lack for topics this week! In today’s episode, Professor Chesney and I eat a number of cookies while talking about the following: Rachel Brand steps down at DOJ. …

The Internationalists Mini-Forum: The Next World Order – Non-State Armed Groups and International Law
(This piece is the latest of several on Just Security examining The Internationalists: How a Radical Plan to Outlaw War Remade the World, written by Just Security editorial board…

No, Ceasefires and Armistices Are Not “Outmoded”
My friend Oona Hathaway penned an important post (“Recent Israeli Strikes on Syria and the Prohibition on the Unilateral Use of Force”) where she rightly express concern about…