KILL ORDERS

Counterinsurgency operations, by their very nature, often require military personnel to operate in the midst of civilian populations. In such cases, the judicious and lawful use of military force becomes as important as direct combat. When lawful warfare gives way to criminal conduct, it is sometimes because individual soldiers step over the line, but at other times it results from unlawful orders from above.

In terms of its ultimate outcome, the Philippine-American War of 1899–1902 has historically been regarded as the U.S. Army’s most successful war of counterinsurgency. Still, it was marked by allegations of widespread killing of civilians, the torture of prisoners, and, on occasion, orders that flagrantly violated the laws of war. The most infamous incident of the war was the one that resulted in the “Howling Wilderness” court-martial of Brigadier General