Manual Alignment A Comparison of The Law of Armed Conflict Manuals of The United States and Its Allies: How Reading Manuals Helps Military Lawyers Speak the Same Language When Planning Combined Operations.

This article helps military lawyers work with allies. By comparing the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) Manuals printed by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Australia, this article identifies consequential differences in the interpretation of LOAC between these five countries. The article discusses four such differences: definitions of foundational principles, incursion into a neutral or nonparticipating State during a conflict, the role of doubt in making targeting decisions, and the degree of protection accorded to the environment from the effects of attacks. While these differences point to possible challenges for cooperation between the United States and its allies in a major conflict, the article argues that proactive identification of these and other misalignments will remove obstacles in combined planning. This article advocates for comparison of LOAC manuals as a starting point for understanding allied and partner requirements.