Introduction An unlawful combatant, illegal combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a person who directly engages in armed conflict in violation of the laws of war. An unlawful combatant may be detained or prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action. The International Committee of the Red Cross points out that the… Read More
Introduction A prisoner of war (POW) is a non-combatant – whether a military member, an irregular military fighter, or a civilian – who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase “prisoner of war” dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of… Read More
Introduction Combatant is the legal status of an individual who has the right to engage in hostilities during an armed conflict. The legal definition of “combatant” is found at article 43(2) of Additional Protocol I (AP1) to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. It states that “Members of the armed forces of a Party to a… Read More
Introduction The honours of war are a set of privileges that are granted to a defeated army during the surrender ceremony. The honours symbolise the valour of the defeated army, and grew into a custom during the age of early modern warfare. Typically a surrendering garrison was permitted to march out with drums beating and… Read More
Introduction A war crime is an act that constitutes a serious violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility. Examples of crimes include intentionally killing civilians or prisoners, torturing, destroying civilian property, taking hostages, performing a perfidy, raping, using child soldiers, pillaging, declaring that no quarter will be given, and… Read More
Introduction In the United States, National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) Recognition Day is observed on the third Friday in September. It honours those who were POWs and those who are still MIA. It is most associated with those who were POWs during the Vietnam War. National Vietnam War Veterans Day is 29 March,… Read More
“Stalin’s treatment of returning Soviet POWs In spite of his personal triumph, Stalin was, if anything, more paranoid at the end of the war than at the beginning. His suspicions of real or imagined enemies had grown, not weakened. The tragedy was that he was helped in this by the Western Allies. At the Yalta… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 