Brigadier General Tom Ayres, Assistant Judge Advocate for Military Law Operations for the United States Army, explored the legal apparatus behind U.S. military “stability operations” and its role in the development of the “rule of law” in post-conflict Iraq and Afghanistan. Military lawyers have been at the forefront of this area of activity, assisting in the reconstruction of courts, facilitating the training of legal professionals, and engaging in a wide array of activities designed to rebuild broken legal landscapes.
This event allowed attorneys with an interest in international law and international affairs to better understand the role of the military in rule of law and stability operations and to hear from one of the senior leaders in the U.S. Army JAG Corps about how that organization has been involved in this effort, how it has dealt with some of the unforeseen challenges, and what it has learned from project successes.
Brigadier General previously served as the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) for Multi-National Corps-Iraq, from January 2008 to April 2009 and has also served as Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
