Overview

When a crisis leads to warfare, it is the law of armed conflict that determines how the hostilities can be conducted and which weapons can be used. Some of the detailed rules of the law of armed conflict prohibit particular weapons entirely while other rules limit the situations in which other weapons can be used. Unsurprisingly, the law requires states to assess the weapons they plan to acquire in order to determine whether their intended uses will be lawful.

Making those determinations is a skilled task that has profound implications for the security of the State, indeed for its very ability to defend itself. It is vitally important therefore that the personnel who conduct these weapon reviews are suitably knowledgeable. Participants in this Weapons Law program will receive expert instruction on all the principles and rules of this important area of law and will discuss how the law applies to the full range of weapon technologies from the most traditional to the most modern.

The program involves periods of lecture interspersed with seminar discussions in which the participants go into smaller groups to discuss pre-set problem scenarios. The solutions of each work group are then presented in plenary and are discussed. The purpose of this approach is to ensure that each element of the program is fully understood by all of the participants. It is a step by step approach that is intended to help each participant to learn at his or her own pace.

Topics covered as part of this 5 day program include:

• Weapons Law in Context
• Customary Principles: Superfluous injury/unnecessary suffering, Indiscriminate weapons
• Firearms, bullets and cluster munitions
• Poisons, gases, biological and chemical weapons
• Mines, booby-traps and other devices
• Maritime Weapons
• Space Weapons, Cyber Weapons and NIAC
• Artificial Intelligence
• New and Emerging Technologies
• And more….

Learn from a Global Expert

The program presenter, Air Commodore Bill Boothby, is the author of the authoritative book on the subject, namely Weapons and the Law of Armed Conflict (2nd Edn) published by Oxford University Press. Participants do not need to purchase the book in order successfully to complete the program.

Learning Outcomes

The objectives and intended learning outcomes of the program are as follows:

A That every participant achieves a suitably detailed and accurate understanding of the rules of weapons law.

B That every participant is able to identify the relevant features of a specific weapon system and then apply the law to that system accurately.

C That every participant is able to produce a logically presented and correct legal analysis of any weapon and its intended uses including weapons involving advanced technologies and whether the analysis is to be used for weapon review or other purposes.

D That every participant is able to contribute to the development of a weapon review capability if their State lacks such a system.

Who Should Attend

Participants are not expected to have any prior knowledge or experience with weapons or weapons law. The program is designed to welcome complete beginners and build their expertise throughout the week.

Everyone is welcome — and you can expect to learn a great deal in a short time. Our ethos is simple: we learn together, we learn well, and we enjoy it.

This program is ideal for:

Program Fee & Location

Fee: $2,000 + HST

Meet Your Instructor

Air Commodore (Ret’d) Bill Boothby

One of the world’s most respected voices in Weapons Law

Bill Boothby brings unmatched expertise to this program. As a former senior legal officer in the Royal Air Force, he spent decades advising on the legality of weapon systems and the conduct of hostilities.He is also the author of the leading global text on Weapons Law — a resource used by governments, militaries, and legal practitioners worldwide.

Bill is known not only for his deep subject matter expertise, but also for his engaging, accessible teaching style. He has trained military lawyers, commanders, policymakers, and technical specialists across the world, helping them navigate some of the most complex and fast evolving issues in modern warfare.

Whether you’re new to the topic or already working in defence, policy, or law, learning directly from Bill Boothby is a rare opportunity to gain insight from one of the field’s most influential thinkers.