Mobile Education Team Seminars ~
Descriptions and Sample Schedules
Legal Aspects of Combating Terrorism
This seminar for mid- to senior-level service-members and civilians explains the international law of
human rights and law of armed conflict rules applicable when combating terrorism. It focuses on
interagency cooperation and effective methods that comply with international norms. The topics in
the illustrative schedule can be tailored as required. For example, a recent iteration for law
enforcement officials featured U.S. Department of Justice lawyers and investigators explaining U.S.
laws and techniques in information-sharing, investigating, and successfully prosecuting terrorist
suspects.
This seminar is an excellent opportunity to bring together civilian and military officials from one or
several nations to build trust, mutual understanding, and relationships for future cooperation. DIILS
encourages participants to give presentations during the seminar in order to enhance understanding,
cooperation and to share effective techniques and challenges. The faculty also facilitates small
group discussions or staff exercises designed to highlight relevant law and stimulate discussion on
effective and lawful techniques to combat terrorism.
Legal Aspects of Combating Corruption
This seminar is for military officers and civilian officials involved in the fight against public corruption,
including civilian policy makers, ministry executives, investigators, prosecutors, legislators and staff,
NGOs, and journalists. By encouraging wide attendance, DIILS seeks to promote understanding and
cooperation among all government ministries and other entities involved in combating corruption.
Although faculty presentations of U.S. corruption cases illustrate U.S. laws and methods of
investigation and prosecution, the seminar underscores that public corruption is a universal problem.
The sample schedule reflects a range of possible presentations in a seminar on this topic. The
seminar can be tailored to address one or several critical themes: the international legal framework for
fighting corruption, standards of conduct in public institutions, transparent public sector management,
effective investigation and prosecution of corruption offenses, and international cooperation.
The seminar includes presentations, case studies, exercises and group discussions to encourage
development of a systematic approach to preventing, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting
corruption in public institutions. Presentations from host nation officials are encouraged in order to
analyze timely corruption challenges and identify the need for statutory and procedural change.
Operational Law
By examining relevant international human rights law and the law of armed conflict, this seminar
prepares operational commanders and staff officers, civilian policy-makers, and their lawyers to
conduct effective domestic and international military operations within the rule of law. Each seminar
focuses on the identification of complex contemporary operational challenges and the development
of effective and lawful solutions. Highlights include the benefits and importance of an effective
military justice system, training programs on human rights and the law of armed conflict, and the
creation of practical rules for the use of force and rules of engagement.
DIILS faculty includes U.S. military judge advocates with recent and relevant experience in
Afghanistan, Iraq, domestic disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, and foreign disasters, such as the
earthquake/tsunami in Japan. They facilitate small group discussions of realistic scenarios in which
participants develop solutions within applicable law. Such discussions may include developing rules
for the use of force or rules of engagement. The sample schedule illustrates a range of possible
presentations, which can vary according to the audience and their scheduled deployments.
Military Justice
This seminar can be tailored for nations seeking to transform or improve their system of military
justice. For example, if a military were interested in developing an effective and efficient system for
maintaining a quality professional force, the seminar would explain the U.S. military system of
administrative discharges and non-judicial punishments. For a military transitioning from a civil law
inquisitorial trial system to an adversarial system, the seminar would focus on the roles U.S. military
judges and trial and defense counsel, as well as court-martial procedures and practices. The
sample schedule illustrates a range of military justice topics. The schedule of each seminar will be
based on the target areas being considered for reform or new implementation. A pre-seminar
assessment and planning visit offers the best opportunity for DIILS to build a focused, effective
program.
All seminars include opportunities for early presentations by host nation lawyers on their existing or
planned military justice system and practices, so that DIILS faculty can provide the most useful
examples and focus small group work on timely needs. Mock trials and administrative hearings, case
studies, practical exercises, and group discussions provide practical opportunities to experience
relevant portions of the U.S. military system and identify those most useful.
Legal Aspects of Peacekeeping
This seminar for senior policy-makers, legal advisors, commanders and staff officers covers the
full spectrum of legal issues arising in the UN and other international peace operations. The goal
of this seminar is to educate participants on the means to address all legal aspects of planned
operations. A pre-seminar assessment and planning visit offers the best opportunity for DIILS to
build a focused and effective program. Presentations by the host nation are encouraged to focus
the briefings and exercises on the host nation needs and on developing workable, country-specific
solutions.
The faculty uses case studies, practical exercises, group discussions, and demonstrations to ensure
understanding of key legal issues and likely operational challenges, providing a comprehensive and
stimulating learning experience. Each seminar is based on the specific needs of the participants.
Topics may include the functions of the UN HQ offices working with Troop Contributing Nations and
legal issues involved, or the immunities and privileges of peacekeepers under the UN Status of
Mission Agreements. A thorough discussion of applicable rules of engagement and the relevant law of
armed conflict is a critical component of any seminar on peace operations, as well as legal challenges
related to peacekeeping forces including foreign police units. The schedule shown illustrates only a
sample of the range of possible presentations.
Developing a Professional Military Force
This seminar examines the legal framework for developing and maintaining a professional military, a
cornerstone of effective defense sector reform. The schedule shown illustrates a range of sample
topics.
Topics, group discussion themes, and faculty are selected to best meet host nation reform needs.
For example, senior military officers and civilian officials (executive, legislative and judicial
branches), and other civilian stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, media) considering structural changes in
recruiting, retaining, and maintaining a professional military may be interested in presentations on
the U.S. military standards and procedures in these areas. Presentations and case studies can also
be tailored for military officers interested in learning more about U.S. personnel qualifications and
continuing education standards for military police investigators or military lawyers (operational
advisors, judges, prosecution or defense counsel).
Discussion problems promote small group analysis of standards and systems required to develop a
professional military, administered and operated within the rule of law. DIILS can also conduct a
CONUS seminar or familiarization visit for a small group of senior military or civilian officials wishing
to meet with senior U.S. military counterparts and visit commands attuned to their development
needs.
The Military’s Role in Disaster Response
This seminar is for mid- to senior-level military and civilian officials responsible for organizing and
planning a government-wide response to major disasters and emergencies. The seminar examines
the U.S. National Incident Management System and National Response Framework, as well as the
established coordination relationships and responsibilities at the U.S. national (including military) and
local levels.
DIILS faculty includes officials from the Department of Homeland Security, National Guard, State
Emergency Operations Centers, and international officers with disaster response experience, as
appropriate. While highlighting the benefits of international human rights standards and the
importance of integrating rules for the use of force and related training in all planning, the seminar
examines ways that military capabilities can be integrated effectively into the overall government
response to disasters, including useful domestic laws and potential legal issues.
This seminar offers civilian and military organizations involved in disaster relief a useful forum to
develop a common understanding of respective roles and capabilities, and a foundation for future
planning. Topic and faculty selection are based on the host nation capabilities and disaster risks.
DIILS faculty facilitates discussions and exercises useful in developing interagency cooperation and
rules for the use of force in disaster operations.
A seminar on organizing and planning for deploying military forces to assist another nation with
disaster relief is available. DIILS can develop a CONUS seminar or familiarization visit for a small
group of senior military or civilian officials wishing to meet with senior U.S. civilian or military
counterparts and visit a State Emergency Operations Center and military commands having disaster
response missions. The sample schedule offers potential topics.
Border Security - Land and Maritime
This DIILS seminar is for mid- to senior-level military and civilian officials who secure national
borders against transnational threats. It examines the legal issues and the international human
rights standards and agreements on international cooperation. The focus is on development of
effective means to address challenges within the rule of law.
The sample schedule offers notional topics. The actual schedule and DIILS faculty will be selected
to meet the needs of the host nation. A seminar for nations with maritime borders might include
presentations by a U.S. Coast Guard judge advocate on coastal state law enforcement authorities
under the UN Law of the Sea Convention, with examples of effective domestic laws drawn from the
Coast Guard’s Model Maritime Service Code. For nations facing land border challenges, U.S.
Department of Justice and Homeland Security lawyers explain the U.S. customs, immigration and
terrorism laws and provide case studies of the U.S. efforts to implement these laws, including
investigations and prosecutions.
The faculty uses presentations, case studies, exercises, and group discussions to outline a
systematic approach to border security operations. Presentations by host nation officials are
encouraged to identify challenges and capabilities, in order to focus discussions on relevant
international and domestic laws.
This seminar is a useful way to bring together officials from the host nation or regional stakeholders’
organizations to clarify their respective roles and build interagency cooperation. DIILS can also
conduct a CONUS seminar or familiarization visit on this topic for a small group of senior officials
wishing to meet with U.S. counterparts and observe facilities / units involved in securing U.S. land
and maritime borders.
Terrorism, Computer Crimes, and the Internet
This seminar is designed for military officers and civilian officials involved with fighting terrorist
activity in the cyber/digital world, including policy-makers, investigators, prosecutors, legislators, and
staff. This program builds on national or regional experience, using faculty drawn from the
Department of Justice Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section and other agencies with
vast professional expertise on the legal aspects of combating terrorist crimes, computer crimes, and
the abuse of the internet to spread propaganda and conduct cyber attacks on government or critical
infrastructure.
The seminar offers opportunities for presentations by the host nation or regional officials describing
current threats, organizational capabilities, and authorities. DIILS faculty provides U.S. case studies
and facilitates small group discussions of realistic scenarios in which participants develop solutions
in light of relevant law. DIILS can also conduct a CONUS visit to Washington D.C. for a small group
of senior officials wishing to discuss lessons learned with the U.S. Department of Justice and the
Department of Homeland Security counterparts.
Maritime Law
This seminar for military officers and civilian officials engaged in traditional naval roles, maritime law
enforcement, and coastal and border security, aims to enhance maritime capacity in the areas of
international law of military operations and maritime law enforcement. The seminar can be tailored to
the experience level of the participants and the applicable regional threats. The program begins with
an introduction to the Law of the Sea Convention and then focuses on more specific regional issues,
as illustrated in the sample schedule. Highlights include briefings on piracy, and comparisons
between the law of armed conflict and maritime law enforcement, and rules of engagement and rules
on the use of force.
The faculty includes U.S. military judge advocates and federal attorneys with recent and relevant
maritime experience in combating maritime terrorism, border security, law enforcement, and piracy.
They facilitate group discussions of real-world maritime scenarios in which participants develop
solutions within applicable law. DIILS can also conduct regional seminars on this topic.
SOLARA
This seminar focuses on the Legal Aspects of Rules of Engagement (ROE) and Rules for the Use of
Force (RUF) relevant to stability operations in Afghanistan. It is designed for forces that are
deploying, continuing, or supporting deployments to Afghanistan.
The objective is to address the legal, operational, and policy aspects of rules of engagement in
Afghanistan, through case studies and discussion of real-world incidents, including: the relevant law
of armed conflict; coalition rules of engagement; and insurgent use of various improvised explosive
devices. The resulting analysis explains the necessity to vary supplemental rules of engagement.
This seminar also examines the challenges and procedures for deploying forces to Afghanistan,
working with public affairs, international human rights laws, fourth generation warfare, and
counterinsurgency doctrine. It includes a review of ISAF Rule of Law Operations, combatant
detention and detention scenarios, and the legal and operational challenges of concealment
methods and techniques.