13 October 2023
Tested amid the chaos of a simulated conflict, 16 legal officers from across the ADF and Five Eyes nations ensured they were ready for the legalities of war.
The Joint Operations Law Consolidation, held at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, in September, assessed junior legal officers' development on the operational law continuum.
Director of the Military Legal Training Centre, Captain Ian Campbell, said while ADF legal officers needed to be proficient in military administrative and discipline law, it was essential they were ready to support warfighting operations.
“Our commanders need to ensure that their actions are consistent with Australia’s international obligations and comply with Australian domestic law, and our ADF legal officers play a critical role in helping to ensure that this is the case,” Captain Campbell said.
“We want to see if they can be deployed today, tomorrow or next year, and, if they can’t immediately deploy, what further development do they need?”
During the initial phase, experts from across Defence gave insights into each domain's capabilities, new equipment and future acquisitions, as well as intelligence briefings for the region.
The latter half of the activity simulated a high-tempo deployed legal office. Participants dealt with a continuous flow of legal challenges over four days.
'The Geneva Conventions also got a real workout.'
One participant, Flight Lieutenant Emily Ohayon, from Air Force’s Surveillance and Response Group, said her team of four was getting about 20 tasks a day.
Issues included targeting serials, deployment of weapons, detention facilities and personnel matters.
Flight Lieutenant Ohayon said the most challenging part was adapting to other domains, like land or sea in her case, meaning they needed to really rely on the team.
“We quickly learnt that we were stronger as a team, and aimed to leverage off each other’s individual experiences,” Flight Lieutenant Ohayon said.
“The Geneva Conventions also got a real workout.”
Participants also briefed senior commanders, adding extra layers of realism, along with feedback.
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Weaver, a visiting assessor from the Canadian Armed Forces and Director of the Canadian Forces Military Law Centre, said having allied nations present helped everyone understand the nuances between different countries’ legal regimes.
“Knowing how to work effectively in a coalition environment and navigate that space is incredibly important,” he said.
“This exercise gave us the opportunity to expose students to our commonalities and some of our differences.”
Lieutenant Colonel Weaver said the training also fostered connections within the Five Eyes community.
“We develop these relationships not by merely signing treaties, but by building personal bonds between individuals,” he said.
