We’ve set a date for this year’s International Legal Conference – Sept. 7-9 – now we just have to find a location.

Last year, the ILC was held in the Czech Republic with substantial support by the Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Ambassador there and was a resounding success.  Focused on the Rule of Law in the Deployed Environment, the event was a unique opportunity for U.S. and European allies to bridge the gap between theory and practice of Rule of Law support in Afghanistan and other coalition operations. 

Many of the speakers noted that this was the first time that they had had a chance to discuss the implementation of Rule of Law efforts outside of their national chain of command.  Because the conference discussions are for non-attribution, there were some very spirited discussions on the training continuum of Rule of Law matters, and the ability of nations to successfully prepare for Rule of Law missions as part of a core competency necessary not only for legal advisors, but senior operators.

We will continue this lively discussion at the 2012 ILC, with a focus on operational law issues from the practitioners and senior operators’ perspectives, as well as at the theoretical level represented by experts from military and public sector think tanks, NGOs and academic institutions.

Kirk H. Samson
EUCOM Attorney Advisor