The Ethics of Special Ops

Deane-Peter Baker is an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Science at UNSW Canberra, and a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Kings College London Centre for Military Ethics. He is a regular consultant on ethics to Australia's Special Operations Command. Following a 26-year career as a US Naval Special Warfare Officer, Roger Herbert joined the faculty of the US Naval Academy, where he served until 2021 as the Robert T. Herres Distinguished Military Professor of Ethics. He is a Research Fellow with the Arizona State University Future Security Initiative. David Whetham is Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession at King's College London, based at the Defence Academy of the UK, and Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW Canberra. In 2020, he was appointed Assistant Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force, contributing to the Afghanistan Inquiry into allegations of war crimes committed by SOF personnel.

'This is a must-read book for anyone with an interest in the interplay of ethics, politics and military action in that diplomatic space before war breaks out. The conclusions are nuanced, well-argued and will provide many talking points for those who want to deal seriously with the moral dilemmas faced by governments and the Special Operators they send out into the murky darkness.' Peter Lee, University of Portsmouth

• 1. Introduction; 2. Raids; 3. Recoveries; 4. Reconnaissance; 5. Rebels; 6. Not quite war: special operations and the Jus ad bellum convention; 7. Ethical armouring for special operations forces; Index.