Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations – SWIRMO

28-08-2013 Feature

The Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations brings together senior military officers to address the international legal framework applicable to modern military operations.

The Senior Workshop on International Rules governing Military Operations (SWIRMO) brings together senior military officers to address the international legal framework applicable to modern military operations. Both instructors and participants are senior military officers, and the workshop provides participants with the tools necessary to integrate those laws into their national doctrine, education, field training and military disciplinary systems, encouraging legally compliant behaviour across the entire spectrum of military operations.

SWIRMO has become an important annual event, and each year, the ICRC and a national defence force share the hosting. The 2007, 2008 and 2010 editions of SWIRMO took place in Switzerland with the Swiss armed forces as co-hosts, SWIRMO 2009 was held in Paris, in cooperation with the État-Major de l'Armée de Terre (HQ French land forces), and SWIRMO 2011 took place at the Military Academy in Saldanha, South Africa, in cooperation with the South African National Defence Force. In 2012, the ICRC held the workshop in Kuala Lumpur, working in cooperation with the Malaysian Armed Forces. For the first time, SWIRMO will take place on the American continent. It will be held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in cooperation with the Colombian Ministerio de Defensa Nacional.
By gathering seventy senior operational officers from around the world to focus on the law of armed conflict and human rights law, SWIRMO benefits from a unique dynamic, in which experiences can be shared in a truly international environment, allowing participants to broaden their views on the law in a practical operational context. Beyond developing a deeper understanding of the most pressing international legal issues of the day, the workshop highlights the need to integrate legal considerations into operational practice.

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Photos

 

Swirmo 2011, South Africa. Practical exercice. 

Swirmo 2011, South Africa. Practical exercice.
© ICRC

Swirmo 2010, Lucerne 

Swirmo 2010, Lucerne
© ICRC

 

Swirmo 2009, Paris
© ICRC