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Introduction: Until 12 January 2000, the UK Armed Forces retained a policy of discharging all gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender personnel under exemptive military laws. The so-called 'gay ban' was enforced with the rationale that homosexuality was incompatible with military service. Little research has explored the experiences of LGBT + veterans or the impact of the 'gay ban' policy. Methods: In 2021, 15 LGBT + veterans who had been affected by the 'gay ban' participated in semi-structured interviews lasting around 90 minutes. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Five overarching themes were identified in exploring the experiences and impact of the 'gay ban' policy: LGBT + identity struggle; camouflage; intense investigative process; extraction, exclusion and loss; and the personal impact. Conclusions: Serving in the UK Armed Forces during this homosexuality ban policy affected the social, health and well-being of LGBT + veterans. The necessity for LGBT + veterans to hide their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, the impact of investigations, loss of careers and alienation have led to long-term experiences of social isolation, loneliness due to barriers to connecting to others and difficulties around health and well-being. Policy Implications: LGBT + veteran vulnerability and traumatic experiences need to be understood in the context of help-seeking behaviour and service provision. The implications for policy change include achieving health and social care equity in relation to access to support services. Support services need to ensure that there is an awareness of the impact of serving under the discriminatory 'gay ban' policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rule of proportionality strikes a bargain in launching attacks. It demands that military commanders suspend or cancel operations if collateral damage anticipated from an attack exceeds the potential military advantage offered. The definitional phrase military advantage has been the subject of a rich debate, varyingly interpreted to expand or limit the scope of attacks. This paper participates in the debate, advocating that military advantage must be limited to exclude attacks on objects that indirectly contribute to military potential, such as, economic, social, psychological or political advantage, which invariably target civilians or civilian enterprises. It critically engages with the principles and precedents invoked to legitimise a broader understanding of military advantage. It posits that such attacks disregard belligerents’ privileges, and render unbound categories of civilian objects susceptible to destruction. Pursuantly, the rule of proportionality, originally articulated to nuance and improve the rule of distinction, is usurped to violate the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the historical development of criminal liability for disobedience and nonfulfillment of an order based on the study of normative legal acts that have been in force on the territory of Ukraine since the 9th century until the state of the current legislation and its prospects. The research takes into account the legislation that was in force on Ukrainian lands, as well as the legislation of countries that subsequently influenced its formation. For a more detailed and complete analysis of the legislation, taking into account its changes and development, a historical periodization into seven periods was proposed, which includes both historical events (periods) and the adoption of separate legal acts that in one way or another influenced the development of military criminal legislation. As a result of the conducted research, the peculiarities of each historical period of the development of military-criminal legislation have been singled out. On the basis of the obtained results, we have found out that in the Old Russian monuments of legislation, for the first time, an attempt was made to systematize certain rules of behavior, and although disobedience or nonfulfillment of an order were not included in them during this period, such systematization had an impact on the further development of legislation as a whole. A successful attempt to define certain rules of conduct and responsibility for their violation, especially in the military sphere, is the adoption of the Statutes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which in Chapter II "On Zemstvos" for the first time provided for criminal liability for violations of the order of subordination and military honor. The edition of these Statutes existed in Right-Bank and Left-Bank Ukraine until 1840, 1842. We can trace the active implementation of norms on violation of the order of subordination precisely during the period of the Ukrainian Cossack state of Zaporizhzhya Sich, which was initially governed by military customary law. In the future, this was developed in written documents and station wagons of the Hetmans. From the article, it can be seen tha t the Soviet period influenced the development of Ukrainian legislation after independence, but despite this, it was constantly improved, although at this stage, in the conditions of martial law, it underwent rapid, but not always effective, changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the implementation of the property right to land on the territory of Ukraine during the state of war. Emphasis is placed on the fact that, despite the guarantee of land ownership proclaimed by the Constitution of Ukraine, the full-scale invasion significantly affected almost all spheres of public life. This influence is also observed in the implementation of the provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine, in particular regarding the implementation of the right to free privatization of land. It is determined that on November 19, 2022, amendments were made to Subclause 5, Clause 27 of Chapter X of the Land Code of Ukraine which has prohibited the free transfer of state and communal land into private ownership from now on. It is indicated that, as an exception, free privatization is allowed for those owners on whose land plots are located real estate objects, as well as in the case of free privatization of plots transferred for use before the entry into force of the specified changes. Particular attention is paid to the issues of ensuring the ownership of land of military personnel, whose free privatization is also guaranteed by the Laws of Ukraine "On social and legal protection of military personnel and members of their families" and "On the status of war veterans, guarantees of their social protection." The relevant judicial practice, which is devoted to the issue of recognition of illegal negligence regarding the failure to consider within the time limits specified by law requests for a permit for the development of a land management project or for the approval of a land management project and appeals against the refusal of the subject of authority to grant a permit for the development of a land management project / approval of a land management project, has been analyzed. It is proven that the provisions of Subclause 5, Clause 27 of Chapter X "Transitional Provisions" of the Land Code are an additional legal basis for refusing to grant permits for the development of land management projects or approving land management projects and granting ownership of land plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The British Army during Victoria's reign has been portrayed as an institution standing awkwardly next to British society. Legal authorities and academics have used military law as an example, noting the military's "capricious" legal processes in contrast to the predictable civilian experience. Rather than understanding military legal processes though, academics tend to focus on discipline or penalties foreign to today's mind. This article draws evidence from centuries of legal development and late-nineteenth-century sources to demonstrate a far greater commonality between civilian and military legal experiences. The military's legal tradition describes, in part, the military's position as a rare example of a truly "British" institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallels between the Afghanistan and Iraq wars include phony victories (bought from local forces), phony aims and claims (train the Afghan army, secure women's rights, rebuild Iraq), shifts of alliances (allies become outcasts), creating 'homeless Sunnis' (who later join the IS). If we view Iraq and Afghanistan on a wider canvas alongside Pakistan, do wider parallels emerge? The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are profoundly tragic, but are they exceptional? If we view Iraq and Afghanistan as extensions of and variations on the Cold War, do different patterns emerge? Would they help us understand problems of regime change more clearly? This article views the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a series and reflects on what this series tells us. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution shows that women played influential roles in medieval warfare not as soldiers on the battlefield but as key figures in communication networks. Two crucial aspects in times of military crisis are gathering information about the enemy and communication between allies. Existing historiography of medieval espionage usually attributes such tasks to men. This article demonstrates, however, that cities systematically used the services of women carrying letters around the front lines and gathering intelligence services about the enemy army. The case study of this article is the war the Flemish cities waged against Emperor Frederick III and his son Maximilian of Austria in 1488–1489, a conflict in which dozens of women as spies and messengers tried to influence the course of the war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the author is to investigate a slightly obscure topic: the practice of interwar military justice in Hungary and its related questions, with an emphasis on matters concerning the peculiarities on how to implement them. The bill - which came into effect in 1930 - was born amidst uncommon historical conditions, since the Trianon Peace Treaty basically degraded Hungary into a quasi-numb entity. It is without a doubt that the decade-long consolidation - and its achievements - that came after can be regarded as one of the most prominently successful periods of the era's political history. The historical pressure, the necessity of being able to defend ourselves along with the importance of national security demanded that our army remained intact, despite the prohibitions that surrounded its existence. This called for ensuring that the legal environment was modernized enough to be capable of supporting this goal. The system of regulations inherited from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy was subjected to scrutiny and as a result ended up as a state-of-the art framework that even surpassed the European standards it aimed to match. This paper, putting emphasis on the most important dogmatic junctions, will further review these regulations - substantive or procedural contents alike -. After a brief diversion towards taking a glimpse into the historical situation, we will introduce the system of sanctions and punishments pertaining to military personnel, and proceed with the regulations related to their implementation, which in turn will offer a glimpse into the contemporary philosophy that surrounded military justice and procedure. In accordance, further regulations containing provisions regarding infrastructure, personnel, accommodation, and institution security in general would emerge. The author of the article provides a summary of the most important current relevant legal provisions. It touches upon the military justice system and its subsystems, introduces the more substantive procedural rules, and concludes with an argument on practical implementation. It will also raise the theoretical question on a future independent regulation which would take place in accordance with the reforms of the Hungarian military and the national strategy on defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review article of Words at War: The Contested Language of the English Civil War, edited by Andrew Hadfield and Paul Hammond, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2024, xi + 342 pp., £90 (hardback), ISBN 9780197267622. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a historical examination of sex between men in New Zealand's military from 1940 to 1960. It analyzes court-martial records, prison files, and criminal court files to understand the complexities of regulation, place, opportunity, consent, and social status that influenced these encounters. The article highlights the growth of homosexual subcultures, particularly in port cities, and discusses the inconsistent approach to regulating homosexuality in the military. It also explores court-martial cases involving same-sex encounters, emphasizing the role of alcohol and the issue of consent. Additionally, the article addresses instances of sexual coercion and violence within the armed forces, as well as the policing of queer individuals in Auckland. It concludes by discussing the changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the military and society in New Zealand. [Extracted from the article]

On 14 July 1943, soldiers of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment brutally murdered more than 70 German and Italian prisoners of war in two separate incidents in the vicinity of the Santo Pietro Airfield near the village of Santo Pietro di Caltagirone, Sicily. These killings, erroneously known as the 'Biscari Massacre,' stand as some of the most brutal atrocities committed by American forces in Europe during the Second World War. Despite this, the US Army generally failed to hold the massacres' perpetrators accountable for their crimes due to the US Military's desire to keep details of the atrocities secret. Of the roughly two dozen soldiers who directly participated in the killings, only two-faced indictment under the 92nd Article of War. Of these, only one suffered punishment. That said, the War Department released the convicted war criminal a mere 14 months into his life sentence due to a potential public relations crisis in relation to issues of command responsibility. In the end, the US Army refused to accept responsibility for the atrocities and actively protected those culpable at the highest levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Brereton Report found that there was credible information that Australian soldiers committed numerous war crimes, it stated that no commander above patrol level should bear criminal responsibility. The wide spectrum of standards adopted for command responsibility in international law means that there is some basis to argue that applying the Brereton Report's standard would comply with Australia's international obligations. However, this standard does not offer the best balance of upholding high criminal justice standards and ensuring convictions are 'deserved', while deterring serious violations of rights during armed conflicts, such as the right to life and freedom from torture. In addition, a failure to address the scepticism that no Australian commander above patrol level is legally accountable raises questions of adherence to the rule of law. It may impact on Australia's standing and its perceived commitment to international criminal justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article from the Missouri Historical Review explores the events surrounding Major Wilson, Major Wolf, and Union retaliation during the Civil War in St. Louis. It discusses the practice of retaliation during the war and the unique circumstances surrounding these events. The text sheds light on the intense and violent nature of the conflict in Missouri during the Civil War. The given text describes the execution of Major Wilson and Confederate prisoners in retaliation for the deaths of Union soldiers. It also mentions the search for a Confederate major to be executed in retaliation for the death of Major Wilson, but no major was found. The text provides information on the suspension and eventual rescinding of Major Wolf's execution, highlighting the outpouring of humanity in war-torn Missouri. The given text contains a list of citations and references related to the American Civil War, providing a range of perspectives and viewpoints on various topics and individuals involved in the war. [Extracted from the article]

Military and law enforcement members' shooting ability is influenced by their postural balance, which affects their performance and survivability. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a proprioception training program (standing or walking on unstable surfaces) on postural balance and shooting performance. Twenty participants, divided into two groups, completed 60 shots in a shooting simulator while standing, before and after a 4-week proprioception training program. One group (n = 10) followed the training program (EXP), while the other group followed the regular military academy program (CON). The shooting was conducted under four conditions: without load on a stable surface, with load on a stable surface, without load on an unstable surface, and with load on an unstable surface. The findings reveal that the training program had a significant impact on the EXP, improving their balance (p < 0.01). Additionally, only in the EXP, shooting score and the percentage center of gravity increased (p < 0.01) and the stability of the shots, measured by holding time on the target, doubled from 2.2 to 4.5 s (p < 0.01). These improvements were more pronounced when participants had a load and/or were on an unstable surface. In conclusion, a proprioception training program could be beneficial for improving postural balance and shooting performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christine de Pizan's Book of the Deeds of Arms (ca 1410) constitutes an insightful attempt to integrate law and military strategy in a way that shows the hybridity of both domains. Her work both defends the role of neutral legal 'experts' and unveils the affinities between legal expertise and strategic military thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of digital transformation, every country in the world must be able to adapt and adopt these changes as a strategy to strengthen national defense because cyberspace in relation to international relations can be a source of various potential threats, vulnerabilities, and insecurity in the international order. China recognized the importance of AI in shaping the future global economic, military and geopolitical environment, and launched the "Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan." which aims to become a global leader in AI by 2030. The research method used is prescriptive analysis and qualitative data analysis. Based on the results of the study, there are 4 (four) important points to realize this, namely the alignment of regulations related to cyber and digital in Indonesia with the initiation with revisions both in the form of proposed new articles and / or reviews in Law Number 34 of 2004 concerning the Indonesian National Army, then digital infrastructure development in Indonesia, digital literacy development in Indonesia, and appropriate personnel mobilization strategies based on the state of human resources in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reassesses the impact of Artificial Intelligence on war and revisits an article published in 2018 by one of the authors in Orbis. Despite the remarkable progress in generative AI, the authors contend that war's essential nature will be impacted to a degree but will not be substantially altered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article engages with recent initiatives against Israel at the International Court of Justice to discuss the role of international law and some of the factors preventing the realization of a just peace through the realization of the Palestinians' right to self-determination. From a critical Marxist perspective, the article argues that certain achievements are insufficient if limited to a symbolic character and must be implemented at the political level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effect of the size of military court-martial panels on the reliability of criminal verdicts in the U.S. It describes the composition and role of military panels. It discusses an experimental paradigm created by a multi-disciplinary team to compare the deliberation outcomes of an eight-member panel and a six-member panel for a mock sexual assault court-martial case.

The article explores the evolution of the U.S. military justice system. It examines changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the "Manual for Courts-Martial." It describes key points in the development of military justice that are pertinent to future changes or how the system adjusted to prior changes. It discusses the significance of the change in referral authority.

The article examines the constitutionality of subjecting retired U.S. military personnel to military law under the Uniform Code of Military Justice through which Congress has provided court-martial jurisdiction over all retirees who receive pay. It discusses the implications of novel successes within Article III courts of challenges to the constitutionality of extending military law to retirees. It assesses the authority granted to Congress within the Constitution with regard to retirees.

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Military culture and policies have changed significantly over the years when it comes to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Until recently, there had been policies in place that prevented or restricted military service for gay and transgender individuals. These policies have shifted in recent times, allowing individuals from the LGBTQ community to serve openly as long as they are capable of meeting job-specific standards similar to all other service members. The purpose of this paper is to present a brief history of policies pertaining to the transgender community, and how those policies once restricted or limited, military service. These limitations acted as forced accommodations, disallowing transgender service members to fully serve in the military. Policies now allow for the inclusion of transgender individuals to serve openly in the United States military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]