The seminar focuses on the provisions and obligations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights Law (HRL) Law as they apply to military operations.

OPLAW enhances participants’ understanding of the legal aspects and obligations and their practical application to the planning and conduct of military operations. It familiarizes them with the fundamentals of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights (HR) Law as it applies to International and Non-International Armed Conflict.

Furthermore, this seminar will familiarize the participants with the concept of Rules of Engagement (ROE)—defining circumstances, conditions, degree and manner in which force or actions which might be construed as provocative, may, or may not, be applied. As such, ROE serve as a practical tool for higher military and political authorities for exercising control over the conduct of military operations.

Now on its 10th year, OPLAW offered three courses aimed at three different participant groups: 

• Operational Law Course for military practitioners and Civil Society Organization Individuals
• Training-of-Trainers in the Operational Law Course
• And a new pilot course: Operational Law Course for media practitioners

The main resource speakers of the course are Prof. Dr. Wolff Heintschel Von Heinegg of the Frankfurt-based Europa-Universität Viadrina and Cdr. Thomas Boehlke (Ret.) of the Hamburg-based German Armed Forces Command and Staff College.