In today's fast-paced world of overseas contingency and domestic operations, commanders rely on the advice of JAG Corps personnel to make critical decisions, sometimes involving life and death. Demand for this advice is high and will likely increase. The complexity of the operational environment is also growing. We can be sure that technological advances on the 21st Century battlefield will take us into uncharted legal territory, where we will be expected to analyze the complexities and provide accurate advice faster than ever before. Our ability to do so will have a direct impact on America's capacity to effectively project power across the spectrum of conflict. Commanders count on legal teams knowledgeable in subjects ranging from weapon selection and target engagement to nation building and counterinsurgency activities. That's why the second edition of the Air Force Operations & the Law: a Guide for Air & Space Forces is so important.

Today's Air Force commanders face a wide-range of issues, many of which involve complex statutes, laws, regulations, and rules. Our commanders must deal with challenging legal matters ranging from military justice to environmental law to operations law. To assist commanders with these formidable tasks, we've created this helpful volume, The Military Commander and the Law. This deskbook contains a series of papers that give commanders a head start on the wide array of issues they will handle. Each article is intended to give a commander the basics in the law on any given subject. The papers are not intended to make the commander a legal expert or to resolve specific questions relating to any unique problem. Lance W. Lord Lieutenant General, United States Air Force Commander, Air University