Experts from around the world gather to discuss challenges of warfare

Participants discussed a wide spectrum of legal questions arising during military deployments, such as the impact of human rights litigation, the emergence of hybrid threats and the legal framework of information operations.

The conference, The International Law of Military Operations: Mapping the Field was held this week. The event offered an opportunity for experts from the military, academia and legal practice working in the UK and abroad to share their experiences, promote best practice and explore the meaning and utility of the concept of operational law.

Speakers at the event, held this week at the University of Exeter, included Major General Blaise Cathcart, Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Armed Forces, Brigadier Juliet Bartlett, Brigadier Operational Law, UK Army Legal Services, Karen Steyn QC from 11KWB chambers, Douglas Wilson, Legal Director, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Jean-Marie Henckaerts, Legal Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Event organiser Dr Aurel Sari said: "It is a great pleasure and privilege to host so many distinguished speakers and participants at the University of Exeter. Law remains critical for addressing some of the most important security challenges we are currently facing. The conference is a perfect illustration of the University’s research strengths in the area of operational law and our strong working relations with legal advisors in the armed forces and beyond."

The conference was organised jointly by University of Exeter Law School and International Society for Military Law and the Law of War with support from, among others, the British Red Cross.