Standing order for the duty commander and the Standing Watch Cell
References
a.UNCLOS — United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, in particular articles 2, 17–19, 56–58, 92, 110 and 111.
b.Annex A to this order — Standing rules of engagement (SW series).
c.Each FRAGO issued under this order, numbered from 01.
Time zone
ZULU throughout. Local times are given in brackets only where they help.
1.SITUATION
a.
General.
Europe and its overseas territories face sustained hostile activity below the threshold of armed conflict: damage to undersea cables and pipelines, a shadow fleet of tankers sailing under false or doubtful flags, GNSS jamming and spoofing, drones over military sites and airports, and the harassment of ships and aircraft. Each incident is local, short and deniable. Taken together, they test whether allied states can act fast, lawfully and in proportion.
b.
Opposing forces.
State actors and their proxies: merchant ships under flags of convenience, uncrewed air and surface vehicles, electronic-warfare units, intelligence ships. Their common methods are ambiguity, deniability, probing our reaction times, and working the seams of the law — flag and nationality, territorial sea against exclusive economic zone, national against allied command.
c.
Friendly forces.
National and allied forces are made available incident by incident, by FRAGO. Allied surveillance (maritime patrol, airborne early warning, satellite imagery) may be requested through AJWHQ.
d.
Civil considerations.
Dense civil traffic at sea and in the air. Media attention within hours of any incident. Every act will be examined afterwards by lawyers, governments and the press.
2.MISSION
From 010001Z NOV 26 until further notice, the Standing Watch Cell of AJWHQ, under a duty commander, takes command of the forces assigned to it by FRAGO in order to detect, identify and answer hostile activity below the threshold of armed conflict, lawfully, in proportion and without escalation.
3.EXECUTION
a.
Commander's intent.
Purpose. Show that every act below the threshold is seen, attributed and answered.
Method. See first. Identify before acting. Choose the least escalatory action that achieves the aim. Report.
End state, every time. The incident is closed, the evidence is preserved, no friendly unit is lost, nothing has escalated, and the law has been respected.
b.
Concept of operations.
The cell is activated by FRAGO, one per incident. Each FRAGO names the area, the forces assigned, the command relationship with the national headquarters that owns the crisis, the changes to the standing rules of engagement and the end of mission. Each incident runs in four phases, not always in order: Detect — Identify — Respond — Report.
c.
Tasks.
Duty commander. Commands the forces assigned by FRAGO. Keeps the decision log (Annex B). Reports to AJWHQ and to the owning national headquarters.
Assigned units. As tasked in each FRAGO.
d.
Coordinating instructions.
(1) Rules of engagement. Annex A. Rules SW-1 to SW-4 are always in force. Every other rule is available only when a FRAGO activates it, and only within the limits that FRAGO sets.
(2) Law. The law of the sea and the national law of the owning state apply. Territorial sea: 12 nm. Rights differ between territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and high seas; know where every contact is.
(3) Identification. No action other than shadowing and hailing against a contact until it is positively identified by two independent means, except in self-defence.
(4) Evidence. Photograph, record and time every act. The end state of each FRAGO includes the evidence.
(5) Reporting. Contact report (SPOTREP) on first detection of a contact of interest, at FLASH precedence, with the codeword TRIPWIRE. SITREP every six hours. Immediate report on any use of force, any entry into foreign waters or airspace, any injury or loss.
(6) Media. No statements. The owning national headquarters speaks.
4.SERVICE SUPPORT
Forces join with their own fuel, stores and weapons. No resupply is assumed unless a FRAGO states it.
5.COMMAND AND SIGNAL
a.
Command.
AJWHQ keeps operational command of the cell. For each incident the cell is placed under the tactical control of the national headquarters named in the FRAGO. Political authority always remains national. Duty commander's deputy: the watch officer.
b.
Standing codewords.
Codeword
Meaning
TRIPWIRE
Contact of interest detected
DAYLIGHT
Positive identification achieved
NIGHTJAR
Action authorised as set out in the FRAGO
SHUTTER
Stop all action and hold position
CLOSEOUT
End of mission
ACKNOWLEDGE.
H. VANDERMEER Vice Admiral Commander, AJWHQ
OFFICIAL: A. RASK, Commodore, ACOS J3
Annexes: A — Standing rules of engagement — SW series · B — Decision log
Annex A to OPORD 26-300
Standing rules of engagement — SW series
Permanent card. Each FRAGO publishes which rules it activates; anything not listed there stays as below.
Rule
Measure
State
SW-1
Self-defence of the unit and of other friendly units and persons, against a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent. Necessity and proportionality.
IN FORCE
SW-2
Shadowing and identification of any contact outside foreign territorial sea and airspace.
IN FORCE
SW-3
Hailing; visual, radio and light warnings; illumination.
IN FORCE
SW-4
Close approach and interposition, without contact.
IN FORCE
SW-5
Right of visit (UNCLOS art. 110) or boarding with the master's or flag state's consent.
BY FRAGO ONLY
SW-6
Diversion of a vessel to a named port.
BY FRAGO ONLY
SW-7
Warning shots.
FRAGO + NATIONAL
SW-8
Disabling fire against a vessel.
PROHIBITED
SW-9
Engagement of uncrewed air or surface vehicles in national airspace or EEZ.
BY FRAGO ONLY
SW-10
Entry into foreign territorial sea or airspace.
PROHIBITED
SW-11
Engagement of a crewed platform other than in self-defence.
PROHIBITED
Annex B to OPORD 26-300
Decision log
Kept by the duty commander throughout each FRAGO. One line per decision. It is the record the debrief will compare with what really happened.