1. Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel
Adjutant General School
Captain Career Course
Identify Combatant and
Non-Combatant Personnel
SHOW SLIDE 1: IDENTIFY COMBATANT AND NON-COMBATANT PERSONNEL
INTRODUCTION: The "battlefield" is more complex than ever with so many different actors
and it should be apparent that it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. U.S. and coalition forces Soldiers and leaders must possess an awareness of combatants and non-combatants.
NOTE: Refer the students to the following publications for additional information:
ATP 3-06, Urban Operations (Dec 17)
TC 7-100, Hybrid Threat (Nov 10)
TC , Irregular Opposing Forces (Jan 14)
TC , Hybrid Threat Force Structure Organization Guide (Jun 15)
September 2018

2. The distinction between combatants and non-combatants…
Concrete Experience
The distinction between combatants and non-combatants…
“Non-combatants are protected under international law and are entitled to immunity from attack.”
SHOW SLIDE 2: CONCRETE EXPERIENCE
1. A good concrete experience sets the stage for the students’ learning by engaging them on an affective or emotional level. It provides a setting through which the student connects to a past, present, or anticipated future experience. It helps create a concrete connection with the lesson content, establishing a firm foundation on which to build abstract concepts involving higher-order cognitive learning levels. The concrete experience should provide students with an opportunity to personally and individually reflect on a situation or event.
NOTE: After viewing this video, some possible questions for discussion may include the following:
1. Was this incident preventable? If so, how? If not, why?
2. What factors may have played a role in the decision to attack this civilian home?

3. Terminal Learning Objective
ACTION: Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel.
CONDITIONS: In a small group environment, using readings, classroom discussions, presentations, doctrinal publications, and an awareness of Operational Environment (OE) variables and actors.
STANDARD: Identify combatant and/or non-combatant personnel within an OE.
SHOW SLIDE 3: Terminal Learning Objective
Note to Instructor: Review the Terminal Learning Objective with the students.
ACTION: Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel.
CONDITIONS: In a small group environment, using readings, classroom discussions, presentations, doctrinal publications, and an awareness of Operational Environment (OE) variables and actors.
STANDARD: Identify combatant and non-combatant personnel within an OE.

4. Combatants SHOW SLIDE 4: COMBATANTS
UNARMED-
COMBATANT
INSURGENT
ORGANIZATIONS
INTERNAL
SECURITY
FORCES
OTHER
ARMED
GUERRILLA
PRIVATE
CRIMINAL
(affiliated)
IW personnel,
Media (affiliated),
Medical (affiliated),
Active supporters
Coerced, unwitting
Financiers,
Suppliers,
Lookouts,
Couriers,
IED factory workers,
Intelligence gathering,
Drugs,
Kidnapping, Extortion,
Intel collecting and
brokering
Criminal financing, money
laundering,
Weapons/explosive
Targeting information
Leaders (religious, political,
secular, tribal, cultural)
Technicans and specialists
Criminal (affiliated),
Transporters
Asylum providers/protectors
Recruiters,
Camera/video operators
IED trigger personnel
Other affiliated support/action
SHOW SLIDE 4: COMBATANTS
1. Lawful Combatants are individuals authorized by government authority to engage in hostilities.
a. May be a member of a regular armed force or an irregular force.
b. Must be commanded by a person responsible for subordinates.
c. Have fixed distinctive emblems recognizable at a distance, such as uniforms.
d. Carry arms openly.
e. Conduct his or her combat operations according to the LOW.
f. If captured, are entitled to Prisoner of War (POW) status and humane treatment.
2. Unlawful combatants are individuals who participate in hostilities without governmental authorization or under international law to do so. For example, civilians who attack a downed airman are unlawful combatants, just as insurgents, terrorists, and criminals. Unlawful combatants who engage in hostilities:
a. Violate LOW and become lawful targets.
b. May be wounded or killed.
c. May be captured and tried as war criminals for their LOW violations.
NOTE: Consider this - if one is neither a lawful or unlawful combatant, does that make one a non-combatant and a non-threat?  Not necessarily. Have the students share their views.

5. Identify Armed Combatants
Regular military forces
Internal security forces
Insurgent organizations
Guerilla organizations
Private security organizations
Criminal organizations
SHOW SLIDE 5: IDENTIFY ARMED COMBATANTS
1. Identify armed combatants:
a. Regular military forces
b. Internal security forces
c. Insurgent organizations
d. Guerilla organizations.
e. Private security organizations
f. Criminal organizations

6. Identify Unarmed Combatants
Unarmed nonmilitary personnel who support hostilities
Affiliated with paramilitary organizations
Support that takes place off the battlefield
Other examples of unarmed combatants
SHOW SLIDE 6: IDENTIFY UNARMED COMBATANTS
1. Identify unarmed combatants.
a. Unarmed nonmilitary personnel who may decide to support hostilities: recruiting, financing, intelligence-gathering, providing targeting information, supply brokering, transportation, courier, information warfare (videographers), improvised explosive device (IED) fabricators.
b. It is possible unarmed combatants are affiliated with paramilitary organizations.
c. Includes support that takes place off the battlefield.
d. Other examples of unarmed combatants: medical teams, media (local, national, international), non-governmental organizations/private voluntary organizations (NGOs/PVOs), trans-national corporations, foreign government and diplomatic personnel, internally displaced persons (IDPs), transients, local populace.

7. Non-Combatants NON- COMBATANT SHOW SLIDE 7: Non-combatants
MEDIA
(Local, National,
International)
MEDICAL
TEAMS
(neutral)
DISPLACED
PERSONS &
TRANSIENTS
FOREIGN GOVT
& DIPLOMATIC
PERSONNEL
OTHER
TRANS-
NATIONAL
CORPORATIONS
UNARMED NON-
HUMANITARIAN
RELIEF ORG
(NGO/PVO)
LOCALS
(home/business
protection, police,
hunters, etc)
PUBLIC
SECURITY
ORGANIZATIONS
CRIMINAL
ARMED NON-
SHOW SLIDE 7: Non-combatants
1. Non-combatants impact all elements within an OE.  Situational awareness of the civilian/non-combatant population is critical for military operations. Non-combatants may not be made the object of direct attack, but may suffer injury or death incidental to a direct attack on a military objective. Exploitation by local government, insurgents, terrorists, and drug/criminal organizations, can put non-combatants in the forefront of danger, especially in an urban setting.
2. Exploiters of non-combatants (in this case third-party organizations) attempt to know:
a. Their motivations and organization.
b. What activities they conduct and what services they provide.
c. Any constraints that may limit their usefulness.
3. In time of war, combatants may use civilian infrastructure and population density as a means to protect military assets from enemy attack. One side might create refugee situations, riots, or demonstrations that can impede the progress of its enemy. Military and paramilitary organizations can use civilian populations as shields, obstacles, or sanctuary. They can use the presence of non-combatants to shape the battlefield and lure enemy units into kill zones or ambushes. Refugees and displaced persons can create a heavy demand on a military unit’s supply and medical system. Frequently, bands of refugees serve as cover for intelligence or direct action elements. Often, a member of a paramilitary organization can approach and/or infiltrate his target by acting as an innocent non-combatant.
4. A military or paramilitary force can manipulate individuals or groups of noncombatants to its advantage by exploiting their weaknesses or by supplying their needs. For example, a military or paramilitary group may pro-vide information to a reporter. In doing so, however, it may seek to highlight information favorable to its cause or "spin" information to the detriment of others.

8. Identify Non-Combatants
Media personnel
Humanitarian relief organizations
Criminal organizations
Multinational corporations
Private security organizations
Other noncombatants and civilian population support
Information warfare elements
SHOW SLIDE 8: IDENTIFY NON-COMBATANTS
1. Identify the following types of non-combatants:
a. Media personnel
b. Humanitarian relief organizations
c. Criminal organizations
d. Multinational corporations
e. Private security organizations
f. Other noncombatants and civilian population support
g. Information warfare elements

9. Non-Combatant Motivations
Individual motivations include:
Altruism (unselfish/humanitarian)
Personal dissatisfaction and self improvement
Job satisfaction
Greed/corruption/embezzlement
Garner political favor or influence
Group (Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Private
Volunteer Organizations (PVOs)) motivations include:
Eliminate hunger, disease, or poverty
Fulfill public or stated mission statements (charity) and hidden agendas (religion and culture)
Provide natural disaster relief
Reflect home country moral convictions or policies
SHOW SLIDE 9: NON-COMBATANT MOTIVATIONS
1. U.S. forces must also understand noncombatant motivations in order to reduce force protection asset depletion. The following are generic individual and group motivations. Individual motivations include:
a. Altruism (unselfish/humanitarian).
b. Personal dissatisfaction and self improvement.
c. Job satisfaction.
d. Greed/corruption/embezzlement.
e. Garner political favor or influence.
Group (Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Private Volunteer Organizations
(PVOs)) motivations include:
a. Eliminate hunger, disease, or poverty.
b. Fulfill public or stated mission statements (charity) and hidden agendas (religion and culture).
c. Provide natural disaster relief.
d. Reflect home country moral convictions or policies.
3. A terrorist, drug, or criminal organization may coerce a businessperson into running a front company on its behalf. It may also use bribery or extortion to induce civilians to act as couriers or otherwise support its activities. An insurgent or criminal organization could likewise coerce a non-combatant to supply it with goods and services.

10. Non-Combatant Characteristics
Non-Combatant: "an individual, in an area of combat operations, who is not armed and is not participating in any activity in support of any of the factions or forces involved in combat." (ADP 1-02)
SHOW SLIDE 10: NON-COMBATANT CHARACTERISTICS
Some generic non-combatant characteristics are as follows:
a. Not all civilians are non-combatants.
b. Not all non-combatants are civilians.
c. Can be friendly, neutral, or covertly hostile.
d. Normally unarmed but could arm themselves and become combatants.
e. May support combatants (knowingly or unknowingly).
f. Includes civilians accompanying the armed forces.
g. Includes combatants out of combat (POWs or wounded).
h. Could be specific non-combat military personnel such as medical personnel and chaplains.

11. Check on Learning
Q1. What type of individuals are considered ”unlawful combatants?”
A1. Those who participate in hostilities without governmental authorization or international law to do so.
Q2. What things do exploiters of non-combatants (3rd party organizations) want to know?
A2. Their motivations and organization; what activities they conduct and what services they provide; and any constraints that may limit their usefulness.
Q3. What are some of the motivations of individual non-combatants?
A3. Altruism (unselfish/humanitarian), personal dissatisfaction and self-improvement, job satisfaction, greed/corruption/embezzlement, and garner political favor or influence.
SHOW SLIDE 11: CHECK ON LEARNING
NOTE: Conduct a Check on Learning and summarize the Learning Activity.
Note to Instructor: This slide has two (3) animations. Click the mouse to reveal the correct answer after each question.
Q1. What type of individuals are considered ”unlawful combatants?”
A1. Those who participate in hostilities without governmental authorization or international law to do so.
Q2. What things do exploiters of non-combatants (3rd party organizations) want to know?
A2. Their motivations and organization; what activities they conduct and what services they provide; and any constraints that may limit their usefulness.
Q3. What are some of the motivations of individual non-combatants?
A3. Altruism (unselfish/humanitarian), personal dissatisfaction and self-improvement, job satisfaction, greed/corruption/embezzlement, and garner political favor or influence.

12. Terminal Learning Objective
ACTION: Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel.
CONDITIONS: In a small group environment, using readings, classroom discussions, presentations, doctrinal publications, and an awareness of Operational Environment (OE) variables and actors.
STANDARD: Identify combatant and/or non-combatant personnel within an OE.
SHOW SLIDE 12: Terminal Learning Objective
Note to Instructor: Review the Terminal Learning Objective with the students.
ACTION: Identify Combatant and Non-Combatant Personnel.
CONDITIONS: In a small group environment, using readings, classroom discussions, presentations, doctrinal publications, and an awareness of Operational Environment (OE) variables and actors.
STANDARD: Identify combatant and non-combatant personnel within an OE.