Expert Questions Legality of US Boat Strikes and Troop Immunity in Venezuela

Increased Calls to Orders Project

• 💡 The Orders Project has seen a significant increase in calls over the last three months, primarily concerning operations in the Caribbean and National Guard deployments.
• 🎯 The project assists military personnel facing orders they are unsure are legal, aiming to provide expert legal guidance rather than partisan opinions.

Legal Ramifications of US Boat Strikes

• ⚠️ A classified memo from the DOJ suggesting no future prosecution for those involved in the US boat strikes raises significant questions about the scope and authority of such immunity.
• ⚖️ Immunity deals are not a blanket protection against atrocity crimes or grave human rights breaches and can be revoked by future administrations.
• 🌍 Service members may still face liability for state prosecutions or international prosecution if they travel abroad.

National Guard Deployments and Legal Uncertainty

• 🚨 Calls have also come from National Guard and reserve members concerned about potential deployments and their legal standing, especially in non-disaster scenarios.
• 🏛️ The legal landscape for these deployments is described as unsettled, with ongoing court injunctions and stays, creating a new norm with public concern.

Tension Between Mission Planning and Soldier's Rights

• 🧩 There's a noted tension between legal advice used for planning military missions and the individual legal advice sought by soldiers.
• 🤝 Service members need assistance to navigate complex issues and ensure their actions align with their individual legal obligations, especially when command plans might conflict with personal legal duties.
• 🎖️ The removal of top military lawyers earlier in the year is mentioned as potentially creating an environment where legal advice might be seen as an obstacle to planned operations.