Related Rule
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Practice Relating to Rule 8. Definition of Military Objectives
Section H. Areas of land
The UK LOAC Pamphlet (1981) states that military objectives include “areas of land which either have military significance such as hills, defiles or bridgeheads or which contain military objects; or … minefields”.
United Kingdom, The Law of Armed Conflict, D/DAT/13/35/66, Army Code 71130 (Revised 1981), Ministry of Defence, prepared under the Direction of The Chief of the General Staff, 1981, Section 4, p. 13, § 3(b)(1).
At the CDDH, the United Kingdom stated:
A specific area of land might be a military objective if, because of its location or for other reasons specified in Article 47 [now Article 52 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I], its total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offered a definite military advantage.
United Kingdom, Statement at the CDDH, Official Records, Vol. VI, CDDH/SR.41, 26 May 1977, p. 169, § 153.
Upon signature of the 1977 Additional Protocol I, the United Kingdom stated in relation to Article 52 of the Protocol:
In relation to Article 52, that a specific area of land may be a military objective if, because of its location or other reasons specified in the Article, its total or partial destruction, capture or neutralisation in the circumstances ruling at the time offers definite military advantage.
United Kingdom, Declaration made upon signature of the 1977 Additional Protocol I, 12 December 1977, § f.
Upon ratification of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, the United Kingdom stated with respect to Protocol II, Article 2 and Protocol III, Article 1:
A specific area of land may be a military objective if, because of its location or other reasons specified in this article, its total or partial destruction, capture or neutralisation in the circumstances ruling at the time offers a definite military advantage.
United Kingdom, Declaration made upon ratification of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, 13 February 1995, § (b).
Upon ratification of the 1977 Additional Protocol I, the United Kingdom stated:
It is the understanding of the United Kingdom that a specific area of land may be a military objective if, because of its location or other reasons specified in this Article 52, its total or partial destruction, capture or neutralisation in the circumstances ruling at the time offers a definite military advantage.
United Kingdom, Reservations and declarations made upon ratification of the 1977 Additional Protocol I, 28 January 1998, § j.
