What good are laws in war?

Fair question. After all, war, by its very definition, is what happens when laws have been violated and the structures that surround good order and discipline have fallen into chaos. So why laws? Well we don't necessarily mean "law" in the traditional sense of the word. We aren't thinking about laws in the sense of constraints that hold back our capacity to engage; rather, what we mean in this context is laws for survival and continued operational capability in a space that is dangerous. We mean laws that are solid approaches to the problems that you face in this arena that are based on an analysis and real-world experiences gained while being engaged in actual conflict.

Adoption of these "laws," or guiding principles, or best practices, or whatever you would prefer to call them, is meant to help you stay ahead of the threats that are active in this domain and to help translate the subtle nuances between two domains –...