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Military & Defence vocabulary · Operations & Exercises

rules of engagement (ROE)

Meaning in military & defence, with examples

/ˌruːlz əv ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt/nounCommon term

In military & defence, rules of engagement (ROE) means: Directives from the competent authorities that set out when, where and how military personnel may use force during an operation.

In Turkish: angajman kuralları

How it is used

Always plural; usually shortened to ROE. They are approved at political and senior military level, must respect national and international law, and are briefed to everyone before an operation. Personnel follow or operate under the rules of engagement.

Example sentences

  1. Every member of the peacekeeping force was briefed on the rules of engagement.

  2. The legal adviser helps the staff draft the rules of engagement.

Common collocations

  • follow the rules of engagement
  • under the rules of engagement
  • brief the rules of engagement
  • ROE card
  • operationA planned military activity with a clear purpose, such as moving forces, delivering aid or keeping the peace, often lasting days or months.
  • peacekeepingThe work of international forces, usually under a UN mandate and with the consent of the parties, who help maintain a ceasefire and protect civilians.
  • briefingA meeting in which people receive the information and instructions they need before a task, often with slides, maps and a fixed structure.
  • missionThe task given to a person or unit, together with its purpose; also a particular flight, trip or operation carried out to achieve it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Operations & Exercises

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