Department of Defense: Law of War Manual

The purpose of this manual is to provide information on the law of war to DoD personnel responsible for implementing the law of war and executing military operations.

This manual represents the legal views of the Department of Defense. This manual does not, however, preclude the Department from subsequently changing its interpretation of the law. Although the preparation of this manual has benefited from the participation of lawyers from the Department of State and the Department of Justice, this manual does not necessarily reflect the views of any other department or agency of the U.S. Government or the views of the U.S. Government as a whole.