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Official Treaty Documents Related to the Law of War

In addition to the DoD Law of War Manual, the following treaties and official treaty-related documents related to the law of war may be useful to DoD personnel, including legal practitioners. See the other official documents related to the law of war for additional information.

For many years, the Department of State has published annually Treaties in Force, a listing of treaties and other international agreements in force for the United States. Treaties in Force has provided helpful information about such treaties, including the date of U.S. ratification and a listing of other Parties to each treaty or other international agreement.

This webpage is a work-in-progress, and we hope to update it with additional documents. If you have any comments, such as suggestions of other useful documents to include, please let us know by emailing us.

Treaties Table of Contents

1949 Geneva Conventions and 2005 Additional Protocol III:

Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of August 12, 1949: 75 U.N.T.S. 31 (1950)¹
Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea of August 12, 1949: 75 U.N.T.S. 85 (1950)¹
Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949: 75 U.N.T.S. 135 (1950)¹
Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of August 12, 1949: 75 U.N.T.S. 287 (1950)¹
Protocol III Additional to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and Relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem of December 8, 2005: 2404 U.N.T.S. 261 (2007)¹; U.S. Ratification: 2444 U.N.T.S. 287 (2007)¹

U.S. Documents Regarding the 1949 Geneva Conventions and 2005 Additional Protocol III:

Message from the President of the United States Transmitting Copies of the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims: Senate Executive Documents D, E, F & G, 82-1 (1951)²
Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims: 84th Congress 1 (1955)³
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of War Victims of August 12, 1949: Senate Executive Report No. 84-9 (1955)²
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting Additional Protocol III Relating to the Adoption of an Additional Distinctive Emblem: Senate Treaty Document No. 109-10 (2006)⁴

The Final Record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949:

1977 Additional Protocol I and Additional Protocol II to the 1949 Geneva Conventions to Which the United States is not a Party:

Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts of June 8, 1977: 1125 U.N.T.S. 3 (1979)¹
Protocol II Additional to the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts of June 8, 1977: 1125 U.N.T.S. 609 (1979)¹

U.S. Documents Regarding the 1977 Additional Protocol I and Additional Protocol II to the 1949 Geneva Conventions

Memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Recommending Against Ratification of Additional Protocol I: No. JCSM-152-85 (1985)
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting 1977 Additional Protocol II (also relaying decision not to ratify 1977 Additional Protocol I): Senate Treaty Document No. 100-2 (1987)²
Letter from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, and Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, Recommending the Ratification of Additional Protocol II: Letter to Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar (2011)

1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties to Which the United States is Not a Party:

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of May 21, 1969: 1155 U.N.T.S. 331 (1980)¹

U.S. Documents Regarding the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties:

Message from the President of the United States Transmitting Copies of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties: Senate Executive Document L, 92-1 (1971)²

1954 Hague Cultural Property Convention:

Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of May 14, 1954: 249 U.N.T.S. 240 (1956)¹; U.S. Ratification: 2575 U.N.T.S. 7 (2009)¹

U.S. Documents Regarding the 1954 Hague Cultural Property Convention:

Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the Hague Protocol (also recommending the ratification of Additional Protocol II to the 1949 Geneva Conventions): Senate Treaty Document No. 106-1 (1999)⁴
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of May 14, 1954: Senate Executive Report No. 110-26 (2008)⁴
DoD Reports to Congress Regarding the DoD Implementation of the 1954 Hague Cultural Property Convention:
- Report on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, No. 0-C2A0797 (2015)
- Report on Cultural Preservation in Armed Conflict, No. 1-D6C4919 (2017)
First U.S. National Report on the Implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention:
- U.S. Questionnaire 2017-2020
- Annex A: Official U.S. Documents Relating to the Convention and its Implementation
  1. Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, Senate Treaty Document No. 106-1 (1999)
  2. U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Report: The Hague Cultural Property Convention, Senate Executive Report No. 110-26 (2008)
  3. U.S. Department of Defense, Report on Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, No. 0-C2A0797 (2015)
  4. Selected excerpts from the U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual (June 2015, Updated Dec. 2016)
  5. U.S. Department of Defense, Report on Cultural Preservation in Armed Conflict, No. 1-D6C4919 (2017)
  6. U.S. Central Command, SDF Breaches Old City, July 4, 2017
  7. U.S. Department of Defense Directive 2311.01, DoD Law of War Program, July 2, 2020
- Annex B: Selected U.S. Activities to Disseminate Information About the Convention and U.S. Implementation of the Convention
- Annex C: Examples of Materials Used in U.S. Military Operations to Increase Awareness of Protection for Cultural Property

Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and Its Protocols:

Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects of October 10, 1980: 1342 U.N.T.S. 137 (1983)¹; U.S. Ratification: 1861 U.N.T.S. 482 (1995)¹
Amendment to Article 1 of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons of December 21, 2001: 2260 U.N.T.S. 82 (2004)¹; U.S. Ratification: 2562 U.N.T.S. 39 (2009)¹
Protocol I on Non-Detectable Fragments of October 10, 1980: 1342 U.N.T.S. 137, 168 (1983)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 1861 U.N.T.S. 482 (1995)¹
Protocol II on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices of October 10, 1980: 1342 U.N.T.S. 137, 168 (1983)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 1861 U.N.T.S. 482 (1995)¹
Amended Protocol II on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices of May 3, 1996: 2048 U.N.T.S. 93 (1998)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 2065 U.N.T.S. 128 (1999)¹
Protocol III on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons of October 10, 1980: 1342 U.N.T.S. 137, 171 (1983)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 2562 U.N.T.S. 36 (2009)¹
Protocol IV on Blinding Laser Weapons of October 13, 1995: 2024 U.N.T.S. 163 (1998)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 2562 U.N.T.S. 38 (2009)¹
Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War of November 28, 2003: 2399 U.N.T.S. 100 (2006)¹; U.S. Notification of Consent to Be Bound: 2562 U.N.T.S. 39 (2009)¹

U.S. Documents Regarding the CCW and Its Protocols:

Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the CCW, Protocol I, and Protocol II: Senate Treaty Document No. 103-25 (1994)²
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the CCW, Protocol I, and Protocol II: Senate Executive Report No. 104-1 (1995)⁵
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting Amended Protocol II, Protocol III, and Protocol IV: Senate Treaty Document No. 105-1 (1997)⁵
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 105th Congress, on Amended Protocol II: Senate Executive Report No. 105-21 (1998)⁵
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 106th Congress, on Amended Protocol II: Senate Executive Report No. 106-2 (1999)⁴
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the Amendment to Article 1 and Protocol V: Senate Treaty Document No. 109-10 (2006)⁴
Report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the Amendment to Article 1, Protocol III, Protocol IV, and Protocol V: Senate Executive Report No. 110-22 (2008)⁴

Selected 1899 & 1907 Hague Conventions:

Convention Between the United States of America and Certain Powers with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land of July 29, 1899: 32 Stat. 1803 (1902)⁶
Convention Between the United States and Other Powers Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land of October 18, 1907: 36 Stat. 2277 (1910)⁶
Convention Between the United States and Other Powers Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land of October 18, 1907: 36 Stat. 2310 (1910)⁶
Convention Between the United States and Other Powers Relative to the Laying of Automatic Submarine Contact Mines of October 18, 1907: 36 Stat. 2332 (1910)⁶
Convention Between the United States and Other Powers Concerning Bombardment by Naval Forces in Time of War of October 18, 1907: 36 Stat. 2351 (1910)⁶
Convention Between the United States and Other Powers Concerning the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War of October 18, 1907: 36 Stat. 2415 (1910)⁶

U.S. Documents Regarding the 1899 & 1907 Hague Conventions:

Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the 1899 Convention with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Annexed Regulations: Senate Executive Document Q, 56-1 (1900)²
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the 1907 Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Annexed Regulations: Senate Executive Document I, 60-1 (1908)²
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the 1907 Convention Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land: Senate Executive Document J, 60-1 (1908)²
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the 1907 Convention Relative to the Laying of Automatic Submarine Contact Mines: Senate Executive Document M, 60-1 (1908)²
Message from the President of the United States Transmitting the 1907 Convention Concerning Bombardment by Naval Forces in Time of War: Senate Executive Document N, 60-1 (1908)²
U.S. Government Working Memoranda Prepared for the Hague Peace Conference of 1907:
- George B. Davis, Working Memoranda: The Rules of War on Land (1907)⁷
- George B. Davis & Charles S. Sperry, Working Memoranda: The Laws and Usages of Maritime Warfare (1907)⁷

The Proceedings of the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907:

The Proceedings of the Hague Peace Conference of 1899: The Proceedings of the Hague Peace Conferences: The Conference of 1899, (James B. Scott ed. 1920)⁶
The Proceedings of the Hague Peace Conference of 1907:

¹ PDF from the United Nations Treaty Collection

² PDF from ProQuest Congressional Database

³ PDF from the United States Department of Justice

⁴ PDF from the United States Government Printing Office

⁵ PDF from Congress.Gov

⁶ PDF from the Library of Congress

⁷ PDF from Google Books