During combat, soldiers make life-and-death choices dozens of times a day. These individual decisions accumulate to determine the outcome of wars. This work examines the theory and practice of military ethics in counterinsurgency operations. Marcus Schulzke surveys the ethical traditions that militaries borrow from; compares ethics in practice in the US Army, British Army and Royal Marines Commandos, and Israel Defense Forces; and draws conclusions that may help militaries refine their approaches in future conflicts. The work is based on interviews with veterans and military personnel responsible for ethics training, review of training materials and other official publications, published accounts from combat veterans, and observation of US Army focus groups with active-duty soldiers. Schulzke makes a convincing argument that though military ethics cannot guarantee flawless conduct, incremental improvements can be made to reduce war’s destructiveness while improving the success of counterinsurgency operations.

Marcus Schulzke, formerly a lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of York, specializes in security studies and applied ethics. He is the author of two previous books, Just War Theory and Civilian Casualties: Protecting the Victims of War and The Morality of Drone Warfare and the Politics of Regulation.

Contents

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Emergence of Military Ethics2. Moral Theory and Ethics at War3. Constraints on Ethical Reasoning in Combat4. Ethical Decisions in Counterinsurgency Operations5. The US Army and Virtue Ethics: Embodying the Warrior Ethos6. The US Army in Afghanistan and Iraq: Warrior Virtue in Asymmetric Wars7. British Military Ethics: Pragmatism and Minimalism8. The British Military’s Adaptive Struggle: Adjusting to New Challenges9. The Israel Defense Forces: On Guard Against Existential Threats10. The Ethics of Israeli Counterinsurgency Operations: Navigating the Rules of War

ConclusionAppendix: List of Interview QuestionsNotesIndexAbout the AuthorAcknowledgments