Developing Warrior Lawyers: Why it's Time to Create a Joint Service Law of War Academy

Abstract

This article critiques the current military legal education paradigm. It asserts that one lesson from the Iraq War is that there is no longer sufficient justification to disperse law of war education for military attorneys among the different service Judge Advocate General's (JAG) schools. Instead, the Department of Defense should consolidate the substantial expertise that exists throughout the military legal community into one center of excellence: a Joint Service Law of War Academy. This article asserts that such a center of excellence is essential to fully prepare military legal advisors for the demands of the modern battlefield.

Keywords: law of war, law of armed conflict, humanitarian law, military law, JAG

JEL Classification: K33, K39, K40