Warrior Civilians

Abstract How should the United States effectively use and protect its non-military personnel accompanying the force? Under international law, "civilian" is a status which provides protected persons from attack by the warring parties. Persons accompanying the United States (U.S.) armed forces on the battlefield, however, are wearing military uniforms, making them indistinguishable from their military counterparts. Additionally, the activities they conduct have expanded, closing the gap between traditional support activities and actions which constitute "direct participation in hostilities." Both of these factors put these individuals at risk of losing "civilian" status. This paper advocates clearly distinguishing deployed personnel and when necessary incorporating them into the "armed forces." This proposed action is necessary in order to appropriately distinguish those entitled to "civilian" status while enabling others, as needed, to conduct activities on the battlefield without the risk of becoming illegal combatants.