Complex Battlespaces ― The Law of Armed Conflict and the Dynamics of Modern Warfare

The conduct of warfare is constantly shaped by new forces that create complexities in the battlespace for military operations. As the nature of how and where wars are fought changes, new challenges to the application of the extant body of international law that regulates armed conflicts arise. This inaugural volume of the Lieber Studies Series seeks to address several issues in the confluence of law and armed conflict, with the primary goal of providing the reader with both academic and practitioner perspectives.

Featuring chapters from world class scholars, policymakers and other government officials; military and civilian legal practitioners; and other thought leaders, together they examine the role of the law of armed conflict in current and future armed conflicts around the world. Complex Battlespaces also explores several examples of battlespace dynamics through four "lenses of complexity": complexity in legal regimes, governance, technology, and the urbanization of the battlefield.

Winston S. Williams is an Academy Professor in the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy.

Christopher M. Ford is a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army currently serving as Deputy Legal Counsel, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.