38 international participants graduated from the 12th offering of the DIILS Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights (LCHR) course on 26 October, 2016.  They lived and studied together at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, while attending this three-week seminar, which enables participants to ascertain how they and their respective countries can enhance the lawful conduct of military operations within and beyond national boundaries.  In order to present a range of perspectives, the LCHR instructor team includes U.S. and international legal experts from the military, government, academia, international and non-governmental organizations.  The participants, from 29 countries, also learned about American culture and history through field studies programs during the course.

The LCHR course prepares military lawyers, commanders and staff officers to conduct operations, including multinational operations, in accordance with the law of armed conflict and human rights law.  Participants analyze the application of international humanitarian law (the law of armed conflict (LOAC)) and human rights law to a variety of domestic and international operations, (e.g., NATO, UN peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, border security, internal security, and counter-terrorism).  During this Expanded International Military Education and Training seminar, the participants, including civilians and officers ranging in rank from Lieutenant to Colonel, compared various legal frameworks and engaged in practical exercises to illustrate the challenges of applying LOAC and International Human Rights law in a variety of operational settings.  They analyzed the full range of LOAC and human rights issues facing military forces today, including gender violence as a tactic of war, human rights in domestic operations, terrorism and human rights, child soldiers, torture, command responsibility, transitional justice, transparency in military justice, impunity, NATO gender mainstreaming, UN mechanisms for protecting human rights, detention operations, NGO relations and refugee issues.

Topical films and video clips illustrated the complex nature of operational challenges, while group exercises and discussion groups guided the participants toward developing practical solutions for the application of international human rights standards.  This LCHR seminar featured a scenario-based exercise on the human rights aspects of peace operations. It also emphasized the importance of a positive professional working relationship between operational lawyers and commanders, in order to enhance operational effectiveness and ensure compliance with LOAC.  A practical exercise on Rules of Engagement and lawful targeting, featuring a firearms simulator, gave participants the chance to apply and evaluate their knowledge in a realistic setting.

DIILS conducted a number of field studies programs designed to introduce LCHR participants to American culture and provide some historical context for the democratic ideals reflected in the U.S. Constitution and U.S. laws.  They visited the Mashantucket Pequot Native American Museum in Connecticut, where they learned about Native American culture and examined the clash between the Native Americans and European settlers.  They toured historic Newport, where they learned about New England history. While in New York City, they toured Manhattan and experienced the cultural diversity of a large American metropolis.

During the academic portion of the visit to New York, they met with experts from the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Office of the UN Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Office for Conduct and Discipline.  An expert on child soldiers from an international NGO also addressed the class.  One of the highlights of the New York visit was a meeting with Peggy Kuo, a former prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, which successfully tried and convicted three officers of rape and sexual slavery atrocities in the Bosnian town of Foca during the 1990s.  The precedent-setting Foca trials have had a profound impact on legal efforts to combat sexual violence in times of war.  Ms Kuo also appeared in the critically acclaimed documentary "Women, War and Peace: I Came to Testify" that is discussed during the LCHR course, and which examines the Foca war crimes and the subsequent ICTY trials. The next Law of Armed Conflicts and Human Rights residence course will take place in Newport, RI in April 2017.

Participants were uniformly positive in their appraisal of the LCHR course as a valuable learning experience with practical applications for their professional development. Noteworthy comments included: "I will always remember this quote from the course director - 'when you protect the rights of those who least deserve it, you guarantee the rights of all.' "

Among the strengths of the course, attendees noted: "A lot speakers with different background and experiences," and "The audio-visual presentations created a lasting effect in learning." The field study program “helped me gain a better understanding of U.S. culture, history and values, and also provides the opportunity for all the students to know each other better."  "The warm welcome by the DIILS staff from the word 'Go' made everyone feel at home and look forward to enjoying the course."