Verified Document

Roe In Afghanistan Research Paper

¶ … WARFARE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (EDIT CUSTOMER'S DRAFT) One of the most contentious issues in contemporary warfare is the concept of rules of engagement (ROE). Just as the Vietnam War highlighted the concept in the 1960s, America's current involvement in Afghanistan provides the contextual background in the early 21st Century. In principle, ROI ensure that combat troops comply with the international conventions of warfare, even if our enemies are not. The Commander-in-Chief strongly supports ROI concept at both the philosophical and practical level, aiming to balance military objectives and politics. Nevertheless, problems have emerged, with the application of the primacy of rules of engagement in the field.

Most significantly, military leaders sometimes focus so much on ROE that soldiers in the field are handicapped operationally. Pausing to consider rules of engagement is less practical in the field than it is in theory. Sometimes, the cloud of ROE results in soldiers'...

Applying ROE correctly is one critical component of successfully address the overall mission and purpose for military interventions. According to Vallely (2013), "these rules are in place for reasons that both protect the military and respect the international conventions of war." Interestingly, in the same report, Vallely (2013) goes on to state "ROE can be conveniently manipulated by the political objectives and military mission limitations essential to the construction and application of ROE."
That is what seems to be happening in the current war situation in Afghanistan, if reports are accurate. "Americans are weary of war, and understandably…

Sources used in this document:
Michael Jenkins is a decorated combat veteran who has received the Department of the Army's highest award for his service. According to Jenkins (2013) "the Rules of Engagement in Afghanistan created an unwanted psychology in our soldiers (and) the fear of retribution and the fear of being court-martialed pre-destined the forces to lose against the nation's enemies." Jenkins understands what the ROE dilemma and how ROE-manipulation generates more of a hindrance than a help to the soldier in the field: "the ROE have become an enemy, soldiers are afraid to take risks" (Jenkins, 2013).

It can be argued that soldiers, under the duress of combat, need the ability to react in sometimes unstructured manners; they need authority and autonomy to take certain risks without fear of reprisal or retribution from superiors. At a minimum, they should have the right to protect themselves from direct threats to their lives instead of being burdened with guidelines that "can be entangled with political agendas and philosophies" (Vallely, 2013, para 3).

According to Zinke (2014), the ROE in Afghanistan seem to be making "Afghan dwellings virtual safe
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now