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113-421: A human shield is a non-combatant (or a group of non-combatants) who either volunteers or is forced to shield a legitimate military target in order to deter the enemy from attacking it. The concept of human shields as a resistance measure was created by Mahatma Gandhi as a weapon of resistance. Forcing protected persons to serve as human shields is a war crime according to the 1949 Geneva Conventions ,

226-618: A Kurdish suburb with a human shield of Kurdish women and children. In the Battle of the Notch , North Korean forces were claimed to have used captured U.S. soldiers as human shields while advancing. In August 1976, at the Siege of Tel al-Zaatar , Christian Lebanese militias alleged that the Palestinians at Tel al-Zaatar were using Lebanese families inside the camp as human shields. During

339-457: A belligerent country and co-belligerent (i.e., allied) persons as long their state of nationality maintains diplomatic relations with a belligerent power. Article 42 of Protocol I states that aircrews who are parachuting from aircraft in distress cannot be attacked regardless of what territory they are over. If aircrews land in territory controlled by the enemy, they must be given an opportunity to surrender before being attacked unless it

452-731: A "key man" of the group. The arrests occurred after clashes in Sabah and Putrajaya, where Abu Sayyaf allegedly used children as human shields against the Philippine army. In the aftermath of Iran 's shoot down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in January 2020, Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were accused of using civilian aircraft and their passengers and crew as human shields. According to The New York Times : "They also hoped that

565-855: A 31:1 kill ratio against the PLA. GHQ was evacuated to Taiwan along with the rest of the ROC Government in April 1949 following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. The ROCAF assisted in halting the PLA advance at the Battle of Kuningtou on Kinmen the same year. The ROCAF regularly patrolled the Taiwan Straits and fought many engagements with its Communist counterpart (the PLAAF ). The ROCAF received second hand equipment from

678-910: A classified military aid program in the Yemen Arab Republic , known as the Great Desert Program ( 大漠計畫 ). The program started after American President Jimmy Carter rushed 14 F-5s to the Yemeni Air Force who had no pilots or ground crew trained to operate the type or even any Western aircraft (they previously operated MiG-15s). The Americans and the Saudis (who were bankrolling the Yemen Arab Republic's military) requested military aid from Taiwan who provided 80 F-5 pilots, ground crews, early warning radars, and anti-aircraft missile batteries. All told more than

791-421: A direct part in hostilities, i.e., participate in the use of a weapon or a weapon-system in an indispensable function.” Furthermore, it specifies that "persons who are members of the armed forces but do not have any combat mission, such as judges, government officials and blue-collar workers, are non-combatants." Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force ( ROCAF ; known historically as

904-515: A further two aircraft due to Vietnamese individually operated AA missiles). The radar network was upgraded in the 1970s under the Sky Net ( Tianwang ) program. FPS-43 radars were procured, existing FPS-88 radars were upgraded to FPS-110s and a new 1,000-meter elevation radar site was constructed on a mountain north of Taipei. Sky Net was activated in 1979. From 1979 to 1990, the ROCAF engaged in

1017-830: A group of people chose to travel to Iraq to act as human shields. Their purpose was to prevent American-led coalition forces from bombing certain locations. Of about 200 to 500 human shields who traveled to Iraq before hostilities, at least eighty stayed. U.S. Army Cavalry Scout Scott Ewing, who served in Iraq in the 2005–2006 period, stated that U.S. troops would give candy to Iraqi children so they would stay around their vehicles, thereby making more likely that enemies would not attack them. Non-combatant Under international humanitarian law, certain non-combatants are classified as protected persons , who are to be protected under laws applicable to international armed conflict at all times. The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 were one of

1130-484: A higher number of military personnel was involved through rotation. It was tasked with air transportation, airdrop and electronic reconnaissance. Some 25 members of the unit were killed, among them 17 pilots and co-pilots, and three aircraft were lost. Other ROC involvement in Vietnam included a secret listening station, special reconnaissance and raiding squads, military advisers and civilian airline operations (which cost

1243-458: A long-range missile precision attack. Taiwan Air Force built at least 400 protected revetments in its 9 bases, approximately half of them covered. Underground hangars were built at Chiashan Air Force Base in Hualien that reportedly can protect over half of Taiwan's tactical fighter aircraft. Other underground shelters exist at Chihhang Air Base and perhaps elsewhere. But missiles can target

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1356-536: A maintenance and overhaul center to upgrade and maintain the F-16s in place without having to ship them back to the United States. In 2012 a letter of acceptance was agreed on for a US$ 3.8 billion deal that included the radars, electronic warfare, structural improvements and new weapons. The Air Force received the first upgraded F-16V in 2018. On April 10, 2019, Air Force Chief of Staff Liu Jen-yuan stated that

1469-632: A next-generation fighter was progressing ahead of schedule and that the overall design and engine production would be completed by 2024. One of the first modern jets purchased was the Northrop F-5 . In 1974 a total of 308 were purchased but, lacking spare parts, the ROC has been forced to salvage them from inoperable F-5s. Taiwan is considering reusing engines from inoperable F-5s in cruise missiles. The Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC), previously known as Aero Industry Development Center,

1582-509: A result of war. After World War II ended, countries got together with the aim to give rights to non-combatants, and created the 1949 Geneva Conventions, built off the 1907 Hague Convention. The Vietnam War is one war in the mid-20th century in which many civilians were killed. Many civilians were not specifically identified as whether they are non-combatants or ordinary civilians, which might have been directly or indirectly killing hundreds and thousands of Vietnamese civilians. However, there

1695-537: A result, the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) was unable to strike purely military targets due to the limitations of their bombsight , the mixing of military installations and factories with urban areas, and the widespread cottage industry in Japan's cities. This led the USAAF in early 1945 to switch from precision bombing to carpet bombing , which destroyed 67 Japanese cities with incendiary bombs , and ultimately led to

1808-708: A second pair of E-2T Hawkeye AEW (s/n 2501 and 2502) were loaded on a ship and sent to the US for upgrade to the E-2C 2000 standard. The first pair of E-2T (s/n 2503 and 2504) were sent to the US in June 2010 and returned to Taiwan on December 18, 2011, and will be return to service by end of the year. On August 15, 2011, the United States again deferred the ROCAF request to purchase 66 new F-16C/Ds but offered an upgrade for ROCAF's older F-16A/Bs to F-16V standard, including AN/APG-83 Scalable Agile Beam AESA radars. Unfortunately, during

1921-399: A smaller radar and infrared cross section than larger, powered anti-ship missiles. Taiwan faces the threat of Chinese missile strike on its airfields. PLA's accurate ballistic missiles and cruise missiles can damage or destroy airfields and aircraft on the ground. Taiwan has hardened key Air Force facilities and built redundancies into critical infrastructure so that it can absorb and survive

2034-794: A state or government during a time of peace. The location an individual is tried in a court of law is the determining factor between combatant and non-combatant terrorists. Individuals like the San Bernardino shooters, the Tsarnaev brothers and the people responsible for the September 11 attacks would be characterized as non-combatant terrorists. Groups like Al-Qaeda are considered combatant terrorists or may also be called unlawful combatants. Non-combatants can also be looked at as radical civilians and combatants can be seen as military soldiers. As of 2017, there are inconsistent ways in which

2147-501: A surprise attack. In May 2005, the Ministry of National Defense indicated its intention to transfer command of all defensive missile systems to the ROCAF, while future offensive missiles would be placed under a newly formed missile command. As of 2006, all medium and long range SAM units were transferred from ROC Army's Missile Command to ROCAF, while ROCAF's airbase security units were transferred to ROC Army Military Police. However, it

2260-609: A thousand ROCAF personnel were deployed to Yemen. The detachment in Yemen was normally commanded by a lieutenant colonel who reported to the military attaché in Saudi Arabia. The opposing Air Force of South Yemen was made up of Cuban pilots and maintainers with some Soviet advisors and pilots as well. The ROCAF force were actively involved in combat with the Cubans/Soviets and for all intents and purposes constitutes

2373-700: Is among the world's first aerial dogfighting between all-metal monoplane fighter aircraft. A unique mission in May 1938 saw two Chinese B-10 bombers fly a mission over Japan, but dropping only propaganda leaflets over the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Saga , four years before 1942 Doolittle Raid on Japanese home islands. It was a war of attrition for the Chinese pilots, as many of their most experienced ace fighter pilots, such as Lieutenant Liu Tsui-kang  [ zh ] and Colonel Kao Chih-hang were lost early in

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2486-435: Is apparent that they are engaging in a hostile act or attempting to escape. Airborne forces who are descending by parachute from an aircraft, whether it is disabled or not, are not given the protection afforded by this Article and, therefore, may be attacked during their descent unless they are hors de combat . Article 50 of Protocol 1 defines a civilian as a person who is not a privileged combatant. Article 51 describes

2599-692: Is developing their own equivalent of the Joint Direct Attack Munition for attacks against the PRC mainland in case of invasion preparations. Taiwan is looking to replace its current fleet of AT-3 jet trainers and F-5 LIFT planes with 66 advanced trainers. In 2008 the Republic of China Air Force released a request for information (RFI) and two companies including Lockheed Martin for the T-50 and Alenia Aermacchi 's M-346 responded to

2712-684: Is forbidden to compel the nationals of the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed against their own country". The 1915 report says "If it be not permissible to compel a man to fire on his fellow citizens, neither can he be forced to protect the enemy and to serve as a living screen". During the Second Italo-Ethiopian War , the army of Fascist Italy systematically bombed medical facilities in Ethiopia operated by various Red Cross societies. Italy accused Ethiopia of using hospitals to hide weapons and fighters. In

2825-546: Is no exact proportion of the number of the non-combatants have or were specify the exact figure, the statistics that has been given were all the estimates on how many civilians and combatants were killed. Most of the recorded number of people missing or killed were not specific, but all were casualties , meaning there is/was no exact figure or combatants or non-combatants. Military records in the National Archives do not specify how many non-combatants were killed during

2938-529: Is the primary air-defense aircraft. Older F-5 fighters are gradually being phased out, but remain in service. The United States serves as the ROCAF's main supplier of equipment and also provides training for ROCAF and ROC Navy pilots at Luke AFB in Arizona. This base which is between Phoenix and Tucson has an instrumented flight area for training approximately the size of the State of Connecticut. As of 2019

3051-649: The 1929 Geneva Convention and argued that there was not enough barbed wire—as a result, this plan was not implemented. Wehrmacht and later SS forces extensively used Polish civilians as human shields during Warsaw Uprising when attacking the insurgents' positions. In the Wola massacre in Poland on 7 August 1944, the Nazis forced civilian women onto the armored vehicles as human shields to enhance their effectiveness. In Belgium in May 1940, at least 86 civilians were killed by

3164-621: The 1982 Lebanon War , the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh was surrounded by Israeli forces as the last stronghold of Palestinian militants in southern Lebanon, but "Soldiers of Allah" militants commanded by the Muslim fundamentalist Haj Ibrahim refused to surrender: Their motto was "Victory or death!" Over a two-day period, Israeli forces under the leadership of Brigadier General Yitzhak Mordechai repeatedly announced "Whoever does not bear arms will not be harmed" and urged civilians in

3277-738: The British mandate of Palestine , Arab civilians and rebels who were captured by the British during the Great Arab Revolt were frequently taken and placed on " pony trucks ", "on which hostages could be made to sit"; these were placed at the front of trains to deter other rebels from detonating explosives on the railways. A soldier with the Manchester Regiment described the technique: They would "go down to Acre jail and borrow say five rebels, three rebels, and you'd sit them on

3390-730: The Chinese Air Force and colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force ) is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces , based in Taiwan since 1947. The ROCAF was founded in 1920 by the Kuomintang . While its historical name is sometimes used especially in domestic circles, it is not used as often internationally due to the current ambiguous political status of Taiwan and to avoid confusion with

3503-566: The Fourth Geneva Convention defines that civilians who "find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals" are protected persons . Not included in the status of protected persons are the belligerent's own citizens and nationals of a state not party to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and neutral citizens living in

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3616-831: The Israeli–Palestinian conflict , with instances being widely documented in the Second Intifada , and notably recurring in the 2008–2009 Gaza War , the 2014 Gaza War and the 2023 Israel–Hamas War . The Israeli use of human shields was formally challenged in September 2004, when Justice Aharon Barak , presiding over the Israeli Supreme Court, issued a demand that the IDF desist from the practice of using Palestinians as human shields, and in October outlawed

3729-700: The Manchu Restoration , and then- Premier of the Republic Duan Qirui ordered the bombing of the Forbidden City ; the mission was carried out in a Caudron Type D aircraft piloted by Pan Shizhong ( 潘世忠 ) and bombardier Du Yuyuan ( 杜裕源 ) flying out of Nanyuan airfield, dropping three bombs over the Forbidden City, which caused the fatality of a eunuch, but otherwise inflicted minor damage. Formally established in 1920 as

3842-558: The People's Liberation Army Air Force of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Its primary mission is the defense of the airspace over and around the Taiwan area . Priorities of the ROCAF include the development of long range reconnaissance and surveillance networks, integrating C4ISTAR systems to increase battle effectiveness, procuring counterstrike weapons, next generation fighters, and hardening airfields and other facilities to survive

3955-730: The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also prohibits attacks directed against civilians. While not all states have ratified Protocol I or the Rome Statute, these provisions reiterated existing customary laws of war which is binding of all belligerents in an international conflict. Article 3 in the general section of the Geneva Conventions states that in the case of armed conflict not of an international character (occurring in

4068-501: The Shanghai International Settlement ; it is believed in what would become known as "Black Saturday", Chinese Air Force Gamma 2E bomber pilots targeted the Japanese warship, but had to release the bombs at a much lower altitude than they usually trained for due to low cloud ceiling, and did not properly reset their bomb sights, which resulted in two of the 1,100 lb bombs falling short and landing on

4181-653: The UN Security Council were ineffective, and on 10 and 11 April 1994, NATO launched air strikes against Bosnian Serb positions. In retaliation, Bosnian Serb forces captured UN personnel within their areas of operation and used them as human shields at sites expected to be bombed. In a similar situation to what had happened in Sarajevo , an ultimatum was issued, and by the 24th, most of the Serb troops had complied. According to various accounts, including that of

4294-564: The United Kingdom , United States , Russia and Japan . Despite many nations signing at the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, a number of the agreements were broken during World War I , including sections from Treaty IV involving poisons and the attacking of undefended towns and villages. While some Geneva Conventions occurred before the Hague Conventions, none touched on the rights of protected non-combatants in

4407-510: The 1899 Convention maintains that surrendering belligerent fighters are to be treated as prisoners of war unless they are out of proper uniforms (i.e. spies ). Article 13 of the same section declares that any other non-combatant or civilian affiliated with but not part of the belligerent military, such as reporters and contractors, have the same right to be treated as a prisoner of war. Article 25 of Treaty II states that undefended communities are protected from any form of attack. In addition to

4520-698: The 1950s and expanded in the subsequent decades. These included a high altitude (2,600 meters) radar station above Leshan . Some of these stations had assigned USAF weapons officers. Starting in November 1967, the ROC secretly operated a cargo transport detachment to assist the US and the ROV as part of its participation in the Vietnam War . It was based on existing formation of the 34th squadron of ROC Air force. The unit's strength included two C-123 cargo aircraft, seven flight officers and two mechanics, even though

4633-592: The 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions , and the 1998 Rome Statute . According to law professor Eliav Lieblich, "Armed groups might be responsible for harm that they occasion to civilians under their control. But to argue that this absolves the other party from responsibility is to get both law and morality wrong." Law professor Adil Ahmad Haque states that involuntary shields "retain their legal and moral protection from intentional, unnecessary, and disproportionate harm." He argues against

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4746-600: The Air Force and added that "The sound of the roaring engine is our guardian, the voice of democracy and freedom." The ROCAF has also taken part in numerous humanitarian operations. Some of the more major ones include the following: Current ROCAF inventory includes over 400 combat aircraft, the mainstays being the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-kuo IDF (Indigenous Defense Fighter) and F-16, while the Mirage 2000-5

4859-496: The Air Force is asking for a total of 66 new-build F-16Vs from the U.S. to replace its aging and obsolete F-5 fighters. On August 20, 2019, the sale of F-16Vs was approved by the State Department and submitted to Congress for approval. The 66 F-16s will be supplied with 75 General Electric F110 engines and 75 AN/APG-83. They will also have new mission computers, datalinks, electronic warfare systems, and compatibility with

4972-706: The American ambassador to the U.N., the Taliban used women and children from their own population as human shields against coalition forces in 2006, 2007, and 2008, during the war in Afghanistan . According to Human Rights Watch 2004 report, the Lord's Resistance Army used children as human shields, porters, and laborers. In 2018, several Abu Sayyaf militants were arrested in the Philippines , among them being

5085-400: The Aviation Ministry, the ROCAF was active during the tenure of the ROC on Mainland China . In this period , various airplanes were purchased and deployed by warlords in their struggle for power until nominal Chinese reunification in 1928. The ROCAF immediately dispatched combat aircraft to the Hongqiao Aerodrome during the January 28th Incident of 1932, and aerial skirmishes occurred for

5198-401: The Battle of Wuhan, Battle of Taierzhuang, Battle of Canton, and the ROCAF received its primary support through the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1937, along with the support of the Soviet Volunteer Group , from 1937 to 1939 in return for raw materials. Following the Japanese invasion of French Indochina , the U.S. enacted an oil and steel embargo against Japan in August 1941, and China

5311-431: The German Wehrmacht in an event known as the Vinkt Massacre , when the Germans took 140 civilians and used them as shields to cross a bridge while under fire by Belgian forces. As the battle progressed, German soldiers began executing hostages. During the Battle of Okinawa and the Battle of Manila , Japanese soldiers often used civilians as human shields against American troops. When the Japanese were concerned about

5424-403: The Houthis are "militarising" hospitals. In September 2019, UAE media reported that Houthi rebels blocked food from reaching civilians used as human shields. In 2014, a report noted that Myanmar's army abducts civilians and forces them to act as guides and human shields. In August 2017, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has been accused of turning to civilians for "human shields" against

5537-435: The Islamist group Boko Haram has abducted some 500 women and children to serve as human shields. In 2016, it was reported the group kidnapped schoolgirls "used as human shield[s]". Houthis have been known to use human shields in their war in Yemen at least since 2016, as from a UN report at the time. In 2018, the Houthis were accused by the Yemenite government of use of human shields Amnesty International warned that

5650-453: The Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System II which Taiwan will equip part of its new F-16s with. The final signing of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) for the purchase of 66 F-16V fighter jets was confirmed on December 21, 2019. To arm the modernized F-16 fleet, the ROCAF has ordered stocks of AIM-120C8, AIM-9X Block II, AGM-88F HCSM, AGM-84H SLAM-ER, and AGM-154C Block III JSOWs. The AIM-120C8 and AIM-9X Block II missiles will enhance

5763-461: The PLA from providing air support to invading forces. Like most of the other branches of the ROC armed forces, much of the ROCAF's structure and organization is patterned after the United States Air Force . Like the USAF, the ROCAF used to have a wing → group → squadron structure. After November 2004, tactical fighter wing switch to wing → Tactical Fighter Group, with some fighter squadrons stood down, with each tactical fighter group, still pretty much

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5876-418: The PRC's increasing capabilities, only F-35s would be sufficient to defend Taiwan. A Pentagon report corroborated that claim, asserting that the PRC would probably seek to destroy ROCAF airfields in the first stages of any attack, making a STOVL fighter such as the F-35B vital for effective defense. In July 2012, Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. and Lockheed Martin announced plans to establish

5989-475: The ROCAF as a result of changes in national policy between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China . After a successful maiden flight in 1989, the domestically produced fighter entered service in 1994. However, the ROCAF was subsequently able to obtain F-16s from the United States as well as Mirage 2000-5 fighters from France, resulting in delays to later IDF development that had been anticipated. In response to American refusals to supply "smart bombs", Taiwan

6102-447: The T-50 or M-346. The T-5, with a program cost of NT$ 68.6 billion, will be a new aircraft whose design will draw upon Taiwan's expertise gained by building the domestically produced Indigenous Defense Fighter. In 2019 the Taiwan Air Force's Air Defense and Missile Command announced a five-year, NT$ 80b (US$ 2.54b) project to build up a full force of anti-radiation UAVs made by NCSIST. In 2021 April 15 NCSIST stated that its development of

6215-417: The Taiwan Strait to conventional fourth-generation fighters, including Taiwan's F-16s. The AGM-84H adds an impressed stand-off precision strike capability. Using the missile's GPS/INS navigational waypoints, imaging infrared seeker's telemetry, and two-way datalink, it boasts the ability to be redirected in flight, including against targets moving at highway speeds. It can automatically recognize targets and has

6328-407: The US Air Force is assisting the Taiwanese Air Force in sourcing new and surplus F-5 parts. Prior to 1984, ROCAF fighters were almost exclusively American-made aircraft sold under terms of a mutual defense treaty between the Republic of China and the United States. Development of the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) began in 1984 due to U.S. refusal to sell F-20s and F-16s to

6441-413: The US at that time, such as the T-33A , T-38A , B-57B , F-84G , F-84F , F-86F , F-86D , F-100A , F-101C , F-104G and F-5E . During the Cold War , the ROCAF was involved in combat air patrols over the Taiwan Strait and engaged the PLAAF and PLAN-AF on several occasions. The ROCAF was also the testbed of American technology at this time. The first successful kill scored by an air-to-air missile

6554-405: The US. Freddy Guevara , an opposition deputy, branded cowardly the actions of adding civilian personnel and the reserve to carry out military exercises and face a possible US attack. In April 2020, it was reported that Nicolas Maduro had imprisoned hundreds of opposition members to use as human shields in a potential US invasion. Human shields have been used by the Israeli Defense Forces during

6667-441: The USSR in 1960. The 34th " Black Bat Squadron " flew low level missions into China as part of its mapping PRC growing air defense networks, conducting ESM and ECM missions, inserting agents behind enemy lines, and air drop resupply missions. Taiwan formed an important part of the US's cold war era air and missile defense perimeter with a network of radar stations integrated with the United States Taiwan Defense Command developed in

6780-435: The Vietnam War. Thousands of people were killed: civilian, casualties, combatants and non-combatants and so as ordinary civilians (citizens) in Vietnam but also in Laos and Cambodia. Thus, all figures do not specify how many non-combatants were killed or injured. Although there is no clear definition of terrorism , a terrorist can be explained as an individual who is a non-state actor who engages in armed hostilities toward

6893-469: The Yemen Arab Republic's Air Force during this time. Taiwanese pilots scored a number of kills in Yemen. The program ended in 1990 when Saudi Arabia withdrew its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. In the 1990s the Air Force embarked on an air and missile defense upgrade, the Chiangwang system. This system was designed to have higher levels of automation and make use of the Air Force's new E-2T Hawkeyes. AN/FPS-117 and AN/FPS-77 were procured. The Leshan site

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7006-467: The above, Article 27 states that if any sieges do occur, places devoted to religion, charity or hospitals should be avoided if possible, as long as they have no strategic affiliations. Article 28 states that even when a village is captured through war, pillaging is not allowed by any party. That is repeated in Article 47, Section III. The articles above were reaffirmed by Convention IV of the 1907 Convention. Many nations signed, including delegates from

7119-523: The adjacent International Settlement (one failing to explode) and killing at least 950 Chinese civilians, foreigners and refugees. After World War II, it was claimed by SS general Gottlob Berger that there was a plan, proposed by the Luftwaffe and approved by Adolf Hitler , to set up special POW camps for captured airmen of the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces in large German cities, to act as human shields against their bombing raids . Berger realized that this would contravene

7232-406: The air-to-air capabilities of the F-16s. The AIM-120C8s in particular will help narrow the gap with the PLAAF's increasing dominance in BVR combat with its longer range PL-15 missiles. The AGM-88F will give the ROCAF a badly needed capability to suppress PLA surface-to-air missile batteries along the Chinese coastline. The longer ranged systems already in service with the PLA can deny the airspace over

7345-441: The bonnet, so the guy up in the hill could see an Arab on the truck so he wouldn't blow it… If [the rebel] was unlucky the truck coming up behind would hit him. But nobody bothered to pick the bits up. They were left." The practice began on 24 September 1936 when Brigadier J. F. Evetts reacted to Palestinian rebel attacks against British positions in Nablus by forcing the city mayor, Suleiman Abdul Razzaq Tuqan , to sit exposed on

7458-400: The camp to evacuate, but few did. Three delegations of prominent Sidon figures were sent to persuade Haj Ibrahim's fighters that "their cause was hopeless, and whoever was willing to lay down his arms would be allowed to leave the camp unharmed." None of the delegations were successful; the first was prevented from approaching the fighters by "a spray of bullets", while the third "returned with

7571-412: The camp. According to 1982 Newsweek photo, Israeli soldiers were attacked by PLO fighters disguised as hospital patients. During the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict in the 1970s, an account tells that throughout the conflict, the military burned the homes of the Jummas , carried out mass killings and rape of Jumma women, and placed Bengali settlers as human shields on the land of the Jummas near

7684-456: The charge as part of its 'infowar' on social media, to explain the high ratio of civilian vs military casualties in its conflict with Gaza. In Operation Cast Lead 100 Gazans died for every Israeli, and the civilian ratio was 400 Gazans to 1 Israeli. Israeli spokesmen explained the difference by alleging that Hamas used civilians as shields. It has been argued that no evidence has come to light proving these claims. Amnesty International investigated

7797-446: The country. A number of these hostages were filmed meeting Hussein, and kept with him to deter any targeted attacks, whilst others were held in or near military and industrial targets. He used both Westerners and Iraqi civilians. In 1991, during the operations in the Gulf War, the U.S. submitted a report to the UN Security Council denouncing Iraq for having "intentionally placed civilians at risk through its behavior". The report cited

7910-562: The course of the war. This number, however, is largely debated. Despite the understanding that over 18 million were killed in the Holocaust and as a result of other Nazi persecution, the exact number will likely never be determined. There is also difficulty of estimating the numbers for events such as the Nanjing massacre , though it is estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war were slaughtered. This does not necessarily include military, non-combatant or civilian peoples killed by radiation, disease or other means as

8023-578: The eastern front and along the Yangtze river including support for the Battle of Shanghai in 1937. The Chinese frontline fighter aircraft were initially mainly the Curtiss Hawk IIs and Hawk IIIs (including those license-built locally at the CAMCO plant) and the Boeing P-26 model 281, and engaged Japanese fighters in many major air battles beginning on August 14, 1937, when Imperial Japanese Navy warplanes raided Chienchiao airbase ; "814" has thus become known as "Air Force Day". Chinese Boeing P-26/281 fighters engaged Japanese Mitsubishi A5M fighters in what

8136-639: The existing Patriot PAC-2 batteries to PAC-3 standard, and, in November, the Pentagon notified the U.S. Congress of the Patriot upgrade order. On August 10, 2007, a shipment of Harpoon anti-ship missiles , valued at an estimated $ 125 million, was also authorised by the U.S. Defense Department, including 60 AGM-84L Block II missiles and 50 upgrade kits to bring the ROCAF's existing Harpoons up to Block II, Mark L standard. On October 3, 2008, arms notifications were sent to Congress concerning, amongst other things,

8249-407: The fighting". Amnesty International investigated claims made by Israel in the 2008–2009 Gaza War and the 2014 Gaza War that Hamas employed human shields, and said that "storing munitions in civilian buildings or launching attacks from the vicinity of civilian buildings" and public statements directing civilians to stay at home do not amount to using human shields. During the 2003 Invasion of Iraq ,

8362-516: The first multi-country treaties to agree on rights for non-combatants. These meetings occurred in 1899 and in 1907. Three treaties were signed and put into effect in 1899, including the treatment of prisoners of war and the protection of hospital ships . In 1907 thirteen additional treaties were signed. These cover regulations concerning war on land, the declaration of war , the rights and responsibilities of neutral countries , and rights and restrictions during naval war . Treaty II, Article 3 of

8475-668: The first time between China and the Imperial Japanese. In February 1932, US Reserve Lt. Robert McCawley Short , who was transporting armed Chinese aircraft, shot down an IJN aircraft on February 19, 1932, and downed another on February 22 before he was killed (he was posthumously raised to the rank of colonel in the Chinese Air Service). During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the ROCAF participated in attacks on Japanese warships on

8588-566: The following examples of such behavior: In the aftermath of the 1998 United States embassy bombings , Osama bin Laden stressed that he would have committed the attacks even if his own children were being used as human shields. Shortly after the cease-fire between Croat and Serb forces, the Army of Republika Srpska launched an assault against the safe area of Goražde , heavily shelling the town and surrounding villages. Protests and exhortations from

8701-689: The former Republic of China's defense minister, Yen Teh-fa, the People's Republic of China sends about 2,000 bomber patrols per year to the Taiwan Strait separating Taiwan and the Chinese mainland These patrols significantly increased since 2019 and now routinely crosses the median line in Taiwan's air defense zones , causing the scrambling of fighters. These air scrambles put heavy strain on ROC airforce aircraft and cost around 9% of Taiwan's national defense budget or about T$ 25.5 billion ($ 886.49 million) in 2020 alone. ROCAF strategy until some years ago

8814-584: The heat of combat . The Geneva Conventions recognizes and expands on many of the treaties signed at the Hague Conventions, particularly those involving the treatment of non-combatants. As a result, the regulations are still in effect today. The Geneva Conventions started on April 21, 1949 and were concluded on August 12. The purpose of the Conventions was to establish protections afforded to protected non-combatants in wartime, including civilians under military occupations and prisoners of war. Article 4 of

8927-442: The highest precision of precision guided munition in the U.S. Navy inventory. The JSOW glide bomb provides a cheap means of delivery precision guided munitions against targets at long range using both GPS/INS and an imaging infrared seeker for terminal guidance. The Block III (C-1) variant ordered has the added ability to target moving maritime targets, giving the ROCAF another method for interdicting PLAN ships, using glide bombs with

9040-590: The incidents which resulted in the largest number of civilian casualties, finding that these casualties were not the result of human shielding. During the 2023 Israel–Hamas War , the European Union and US President Joe Biden condemned the use of human shields by organizations such as Hamas . Janina Dill, a laws of war professor at University of Oxford , stated, "Even if Hamas uses civilians as human shields, those civilians are entitled to full protection under international law unless they directly participate in

9153-513: The incoming Allied air raids on their home islands as they were losing their controlled Pacific islands one by one to the Allies in the Pacific War , they scattered major military installations and factories throughout urban areas . Historians argued that this meant Japan was using its civilians as human shields to protect their legitimate military targets against Allied bombardment . As

9266-619: The lead customer paying to develop the V-standard upgrade, and felt it would be unable to afford both the upgrade and new fighters should those be offered. In response to a vote in the US House of Representatives to force sale of C/D models, the ROC MND said that the V-standard upgrade package offered superior capabilities over the C/D model aircraft. Some defense officials said that in light of

9379-548: The mid-air refuel capability and ground attack ability deleted. On February 28, 2007, the US Defense Department approved an order made by the ROC for 218 AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM missiles , as well as 235 AGM-65G2 Maverick missiles , associated launchers and other equipment. The total value of this order was revealed to be US$ 421 million. In June 2007, the Legislative Yuan also approved the upgrade of

9492-682: The military camps. Saddam Hussein systematically used human shields in Iraq . According to a CIA report, he used the tactics at least since 1988. One of the most well-known uses of human shields occurred in Iraq in 1990, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that precipitated the Gulf War of 1990–1991 . Saddam Hussein 's government detained hundreds of citizens of Western countries who were in Iraq for use as human shields in an attempt to deter nations from participating in military operations against

9605-569: The most harrowing tale of all": "Militiamen were shooting civilians who tried to escape. In one particularly grisly incident, three children were shot because their father had suggested calling an end to the fighting." After a delegation of Palestinian POWs , "headed by a PLO officer who was prepared to give the defenders his professional assessment of Ein Hilweh's grave military situation", and an offer by Mordechai to "meet personally with" Haj Ibrahim were also rebuffed, "a team of psychologists ...

9718-410: The most prominent type of shield in contemporary discourse". They say that the proximate shielding accusation has been used by States to cover-up war crimes against civilian populations and that human rights organizations frequently fail to question this charge which they claim is being improperly used to justify civilian deaths. Article 23 of the 1907 Hague Convention (IV) states that "A belligerent

9831-449: The original version which entered service over 10 years previously. The U.S. government also announced five notifications to Congress for additional arms sales totaling some US$ 6.39 Billion, under which the ROCAF will receive three PAC-3 batteries with 26 launchers and 114 PAC-3 missiles. On February 3, 2010, ROCAF also announced at a Singapore Airshow that it had signed a new contract for three EC-225 SAR (Search-And-Rescue) helicopters that

9944-719: The position of the United States Department of Defense (as well as the United Kingdom and some scholars) that attackers may discount or disregard collateral harm in determining proportionality and states that these views are "legally baseless and morally unsound". Authors Neve Gordon and Nicola Perugini, elaborating on their book, Human Shields: A History of People in the Line of Fire , discuss "proximate shields", humans as shields merely due to proximity to belligerents and assert that this type has become "by far

10057-402: The presence of passenger jets could act as a deterrent against an American attack on the airport or the nearby military base, effectively turning planeloads of unsuspecting travelers into human shields." Canada 's Minister of Transport Marc Garneau also questioned why Iran let civilian aircraft in its airspace, and suggested Iran intended to use the civilian aircraft as human shields. In 2015,

10170-516: The procedure. The independent human rights NGOs B'tselem and Amnesty International have stated that ample evidence exists in conflicts after that date that Israel has employed Palestinians as human shields. According to B'tselem, the practice goes back to 1967. In 2010, two Israeli soldiers were convicted of using for using a Palestinian boy during the 2008–2009 Gaza War . The charge has been leveled against Palestinian groups frequently by numerous observers. Neve Gordon has noted how Israel has used

10283-532: The prosecutions of terrorists are conducted. Possible solutions would be to take all individuals classified as non-combatants and have them charged as criminals and prosecute the individuals who are considered combatants and engage in warfare attacks under military commissions. Combatant terrorists are captured and detained in order to put an end to their hostilities and are labeled as prisoners of war, and non-combatants are considered criminals. Germany's Military Manual states that “combatants are persons who may take

10396-399: The protection that must be given to civilians (unless they are unprivileged combatants ) and civilian populations. Article 54 deals with Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, and is categorical that "Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited." Chapter III of Protocol I regulates the targeting of civilian objects. Article 8(2)(b)(i) of

10509-494: The remainder of the war, the ROCAF was involved in attacks on Japanese air and ground forces across the Chinese theatre. ROCAF General HQ was established in June 1946. From 1946 to 1948, during the Chinese Civil War , the ROCAF participated in combat against the People's Liberation Army engaging in air-to-air combat on at least eleven occasions in the areas surrounding the Taiwan Strait . The ROCAF reportedly enjoyed

10622-449: The request. These planes were expected to be license produced in Taiwan with a local partner firm, and the overall estimated contract value was 69 billion New Taiwan dollars (US$ 2.2 billion). However, after the election of President Tsai Ing-wen , who intends to make Taiwan's defense industry a cornerstone for future development, it was decided to domestically design and build 66 AIDC T-5 Brave Eagle supersonic trainers instead of selecting

10735-655: The roof of a garrison building under fire, as a 'high-value human shield'. Tuqan returned his Order of the British Empire commendation in protest. On 14 August 1937, in what would become the first major battle of World War II in Asia between China and the occupying forces of the Empire of Japan at the Battle of Shanghai , the Imperial Japanese Navy berthed their flagship Izumo in front of

10848-569: The runways with warheads designed to crater them and so prevent Taiwan's aircraft from taking off. Taiwan regularly practices dispersing its aircraft from the more vulnerable West coast bases to the East coast. Units are also moved between bases to make it more difficult to know where they might be at any given time. Dummy aircraft are parked on bases and inside shelters to confuse Chinese intelligence. Besides this Taiwan maintains emergency highway strips where planes can land, refuel, rearm and take off in

10961-514: The sale of 330 PAC-3 missiles, four missile batteries, radar sets, ground stations and other equipment valued up to US$ 3.1 billion, the upgrade of four E-2T aircraft to the Hawkeye 2000 standard and US$ 334 million worth of spare parts for the ROCAF's F-16s, IDFs, F-5E/Fs and C-130s. Late in January 2010, ROCAF received the first batch of new Sky Sword II BVR missiles ordered from CSIST, believed to have new radar seeker and improved performance from

11074-741: The sale of new US fighter aircraft to Taiwan was an urgent priority. However, the ROC Air Force has trouble getting fighter planes from abroad due to mainland China's attempts to suppress fighter sales from any country. The People's Republic of China has called the F-16 fighter or any foreign fighter sales a "red line". It is believed that mainland China plans to eliminate the ROC Air Force by preventing any sale of new aircraft whilst gradually wearing its ageing fighters into an inoperable state as they have to frequently intercept PLAAF aircraft who perform almost daily approaches to ROC airspace. According to

11187-695: The same size as a squadron, now commanded by a full colonel. The main operational units in Taiwan Air Force include: Penghu Airport , Magong , Penghu The Qing Dynasty had established aircraft operations at the Beijing Nanyuan airfield in 1909, just before the end of their rule following the Double Ten Revolution in 1911, and became the airbase to where the early beginnings of the Republic of China Air Force took shape. In July 1917, Qing loyalist general Zhang Xun led

11300-490: The status of the military in the eyes of the public. The ROCAF has been under increasing financial and physical pressure due to an increase in PLA Air Force intrusions into Taiwanese airspace and subsequent interception by Taiwanese fighters. On November 29, 2020, the ROCAF celebrated its 100th birthday. On the event of their 100th birthday Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen commended the "loyal and fearless heroes" of

11413-577: The territory of one of the High Contracting Parties) that each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions to "persons taking no active part in the hostilities" (non-combatants). Such persons shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, with the following prohibitions: In World War II , non-combatants were more affected than they were in previous wars. Sources claim that over forty-five million civilians and non-combatants lost their lives over

11526-567: The upgrade work the F-16A/Bs were found to have rusting issues due to age and Taiwan's climate. The upgrade was to be spread over 12 years, though the Ministry of Defense indicated that it would try to reduce the period. In November 2011, the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission recommended that new fighters be sold to the ROCAF. Taiwan baulked at the cost of the radar upgrade, not wanting to be

11639-610: The use of atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . Indian revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi is credited with creating the concept of human shield as a tool of resistance. In 1960s Algeria , during the Algerian War , France used civilians as hostages and human shields in its fight against the National Liberation Army . In 1963, a Ba'athist tank unit in Kirkuk covered its assault on

11752-544: The war. Code breaking operations played a role in the conflict. A Japanese radio intercept unit was attached to the landing forces at Shanghai. IJN Lt. Commander Tsunezo Wachi and a Lt. Yamada, an expert in Chinese codes, enabled Japanese to make preemptive strikes against ROCAF airfields. As the War of Resistance raged on after the Fall of Shanghai, Nanking and Taiyuan at the end of 1937, new main battle lines were immediately drawn at

11865-566: Was accomplished by a ROCAF F-86 Sabre with then experimental AIM-9 Sidewinder . ROCAF pilots also flew U-2 recon overflights of the PRC during this time with assistance from the USAF. Known as the Black Cat Squadron they flew a total of 220 missions, with 102 missions over mainland China, losing 5 aircraft. All five were shot down by SA-2 surface-to-air missiles , the same type of surface-to-air missile that shot down Gary Powers over

11978-950: Was awarded to Eurocopter back in December 2009 for US$ 111 million, along with options for 17 more EC-225s. On November 26, 2011, the three EC-225 C-SAR helicopters were loaded on board an An-124 cargo aircraft and delivered to Chai-yi AB in Taiwan, and should enter service on July 1, 2012. On August 31, 2010, it was announced for next year's defense budget, ROCAF's "Medium Transport aircraft" plan to replace 12 B-1900 VIP/transport training aircraft, believed to be 6-8+ Lockheed C-27J, has been put on hold and might be axed, due to lack of budget, but will allocate 20+ million US dollars over next four years for quick runway repair. Other items mentioned including increases in runways from 3 to 6 at Eastern Taiwan's three airbases, moving two I-HAWK batteries to Eastern Taiwan to protect those airbases, which will double to four batteries, and others. On November 8, 2011,

12091-522: Was difficult for the ROCAF and the Taiwanese military overall. During the martial law period the military was a pillar of totalitarianism and dictatorship and for this reason was mistrusted by the Taiwanese public. Spending and personnel levels fell from the beginning of democratization until the Tsai Ing-wen administration began increasing military spending in 2016. Efforts have been made to enhance

12204-423: Was flown to Sidon to advise the command on how to deal with such irrational behavior." However, "the best advice the psychologists could offer was to organize yet another but considerably larger delegation comprising some forty or so people and including women and children"; Haj Ibrahim responded to the fifth delegation with "exactly the same three words"; triggering a bloody battle in which Israeli troops finally took

12317-549: Was founded in 1969 under the authority of the Republic of China Air Force to locally produce spares and military aircraft. It was transferred to Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) in 1983. By 1973 AIDC had built 242 F-5Es and 66 F-5Fs under license. In 1992 Taiwan purchased 150 F-16A/B fighter jets from the United States. In the same year, 60 Dassault Mirage 2000-5s were ordered. Forty-eight would be single-seat Mirage 2000-5EI interceptors and 12 would be Mirage 2000-5DI trainers. The version of Mirage 2000-EI5 has

12430-768: Was included in the Lend-Lease Act which superseded the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1937. As the Battle of Chongqing-Chengdu continued into 1941 with Operating 102 , the Japanese began preparations for Operation Z ; the attack plan on Pearl Harbor. In the latter half of the Sino-Japanese War. World War II , the ROCAF was augmented by a volunteer group of American pilots (the Flying Tigers whom fought their first combat engagement on 20 December 1941 ). Throughout

12543-488: Was revealed that in January 2011, five years of problems of integrating those long range ex-ROC Army SAM units into ROCAF has forced ROCAF high command to return those units back to ROC Army's Missile Command. Missile Command is now directly under Defense Ministry's GHQ control. In July 2010, former United States Air Force deputy undersecretary for international affairs, Bruce Lemkin, said that Taiwan's ability to defend its airspace had degraded due to its aging fighters and that

12656-591: Was to use IDF fighters for low altitude interception and ground attack, F-16s for mid-altitude interception and ground attack and Mirage 2000-5s for high altitude interception. Taiwan had to upgrade F-5 fighters due to issues in buying modern fighters. In proposed defense policy , the ROCAF seeks to deny the PLAAF air operations around Taiwan by deploying integrated air defenses, including Patriot PAC-3 batteries and Tian Kung-2/3 surface to air missiles assigned to defend air bases, and smaller mobile air defense systems to prevent

12769-455: Was upgraded with a PAVE PAWS long range early warning and surveillance radar. The Chiangwang system was replaced by the Huanwang system which makes widespread use of Link-16 and newer computers. The Huanwang system was the first to allow for all command centers to share a common understanding of the battlespace and is integrated with Army and Navy systems. The transition to democracy

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