Indo-Pacific Centre for Military Law

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Indo-Pacific Centre for Military Law (IPCML) is a regional centre of excellence in military law supporting a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region.

The centre delivers training to regional partners and promotes a rules-based global order and respect for international law.

The centre reflects Defence's focus on shaping Australia's strategic environment through increased international engagement and training to promote security and stability within the Indo-Pacific region.

Objectives

IPCML delivers legal training courses and capacity building activities for military officers from the Indo-Pacific region, so they are trained to conduct operations in accordance with the law.

The Centre conducts workshops, seminars and other activities designed to operationalise the law, and explore topical military law and international law issues within a regional context.

A panel of experts has been developed, comprised of Australian and international academics and practitioners, providing:

• instructional support
• conduct research
• contribute to the ADF’s discourse on military law.

IPCML has also established collaborative partnerships and outreach initiatives in the region, encouraging the mutual exchange of ideas and experiences in military law training.

Training

On request, IPCML can deploy Mobile Training Teams throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Teams are made up of ADF Legal Officers who deliver training and capacity building activities with regional partners.

IPCML also deliver training courses.

• Command and Staff Operations Law: The course is designed to raise the awareness of military commanders and their staff about key operations law issues that affect contemporary military operations.
• Cyber Law and Other Emerging Technologies: Introduces the legal issues related to cyber conflict and computer network operations, ranging from cyber espionage to cyber warfare, and other emerging technologies.
• Law of Peace Operations: Introduces the legal issues relevant to the planning and conduct of peace operations.
• Maritime Operations Law: Introduces participants to the law of the sea, maritime law enforcement issues, the law of naval warfare, and the application of legal principles to maritime operations.
• Maritime Security Cooperation: Provides a forum for the international law principles governing maritime operations and promotes engagement within the Indo-Pacific.
• Rules of Engagement: Provides participants with a sound understanding of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) process, the ability to use the San Remo ROE Handbook and to draft and apply ROE for a wide range of military operations.
• International Law and Humanitarian Action in Conflict: The course is jointly run with the Australian Red Cross and provides foundational level knowledge about key bodies of international law that generate rights and obligations during armed conflict.