Rules of engagement are the written statement of when militia members may use force, who may order it and what they must do instead, approved by the council, taught before any weapon is handled, and reviewed after every incident. Discipline is the habit of following them under stress, and its most important part is restraint: the rules exist mainly to say when not to use force.
Part of Community Militia Training
Discipline and rules of engagement are the written limits on militia behaviour and the training that makes members keep to them when frightened.
Why The Rules Are Written Down
The governance article states it directly: write the rules of engagement, because leaving them implicit means individual judgement in a high-stress moment decides outcomes that affect the whole community (Defenders and Scouts). The parent article is blunt about the cost of getting this wrong: it costs lives, and the first lives are the community’s own. Three documents do three jobs:
| Document | Question it answers | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Rules of engagement | When may force be used, by whom, and what comes first | This article |
| Code of conduct | How must members behave at all times | Code of Conduct |
| Use-of-force guidelines | What are the steps from observation to defence, and what are the pitfalls | Use of Force Guidelines |
What The Rules Contain
- Purpose. Deterrence, delay and observation first. Defence by force is the last step and only against force.
- Authority. Who may order force: a named commander, not any individual. The governance article has the response team engage only on activation by a designated commander; scouts engage only if directly attacked, since their job is observation and warning.
- A ladder. Observe and report, challenge, warn, show preparedness, and defend with proportional force (Use of Force Guidelines).
- Prohibitions. No force against people who are not presenting a threat, no pursuit of a fleeing party, no harm to a person who surrenders or is incapacitated, no offensive action beyond the perimeter without community authorisation.
- Detainees. Restrained, cared for and brought to the governance process, not punished by the militia.
- Reporting. Every use of force, or near use, is reported and reviewed by the council.
The Corpus Is Not Consistent On Warning Shots
The governance article lists the response as “verbal warning, then warning shot/action, then targeted force”. The parent article’s ladder has a challenge, a warning and a show of force, and no warning shot. A warning shot is a discharge of a firearm whose projectile comes down somewhere, it reveals positions, and frightened neighbours who hear it may converge on the sound. This article does not recommend a warning shot as a standard step; the council should decide the question explicitly and in writing. Flagged for the council.
Method: Making Rules People Keep
Step 1: Draft the rules with the leader and the council in plain words that fit on one card.
Step 2: Approve them in the open and read them to the community.
Step 3: Teach them first, before any weapon handling, and test understanding by questions rather than by recitation.
Step 4: Train restraint with cases. Put realistic situations and ask what the member would do and why: a child approaches the gate alone at night; a known neighbour comes back after dark; a wounded stranger calls from the road; a loud noise in the dark. The right answer is often “observe, signal, challenge, wait”.
Step 5: Review each incident and drill in writing, as the parent requires. The record protects members from accusations as well as the community from members (Community Militia Training).
Step 6: Revise only by the council. The rules change by a council decision, not by custom.
Discipline As Habit
- Rest. A member short of sleep is less able to hold back (Sleep Cycle Management).
- Sobriety on duty, as set by the substance policy (Community Substance Policies).
- Fair, proportionate consequences. Handled by the community’s dispute processes (Dispute Resolution), not by the militia leader alone.
- Leaders keep the rules too. Nothing destroys discipline faster than a leader exempting themselves.
Common Mistakes
- Rules that exist only in the leader’s head. In a crisis they differ from member to member.
- Training for the fight and not for the pause. Members need to practise not acting.
- No review. A near miss that is not reviewed will recur.
- Treating restraint as weakness. The rules are what make a militia trustworthy to its own community.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Code of Conduct — how members behave all the time
- Combine with: Dealing with Violence — what the community does after an incident