Clearly Defining the Rules Of Engagement

Stories and Photos by Steve Harding

California National Guard members engaged in counterdrug operations are
bound by welldefined rules of engagement that specify those circumstances
under which the use of force is justified.

Simply put, the ROE policy states that Guard personnel should avoid
potential confrontations whenever possible, using planned withdrawal routes
to leave the area undetected. If the use of force becomes unavoidable,
Guard members can use only the amount of force reasonably necessary for
self defense. And should a situation arise in which Guard personnel are at
risk of immediate and potentially deadly harm, the Guard members defer to
the supervising peace officer of the law enforcement agency the decision to
use deadly force.

"By regulation, California Guard commanders cannot put in imminent danger
those soldiers involved in counterdrug operations," explained Col. Robert
L. Klein, the southern California liaison officer for the California
Guard's Counterdrug Coordinator. "So when we arm our soldiers it's not
because we're afraid the targets we're looking at will fire on us, but
because our soldiers may inadvertently encounter dangerous situations as
they are moving into position to conduct the counterdrug operations.

"For example," Klein said, "troops that are moving from point a to point B
to establish a listening post/observation post might stumble upon a group
of smugglers making a drug transfer, and the surprised smugglers could very
well open fire because they assume the soldiers are after them. Our rules
of engagement emphasize that in such situations our troops should leave the
area without initiating contact if at all possible, but we do want them to
be able to defend themselves."