UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

USINDOPACOM J06

Countering Legal Warfare

“Counter-Lawfare”

JULY 2023

*This brief presents a conceptual approach developed at 

USINDOPACOM and does not necessarily reflect official 

U.S. government policy positions 
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Countering Legal Warfare (Counter-Lawfare) Overview

UNCLASSIFIED

Counter-lawfare encompasses a range of activities centered on the law and enhancing legitimacy of USINDOPACOM’s objectives 

while exposing and opposing unlawful activities and flawed legal narratives that threaten the rules-based international order. 

Objectives Lines of Effort End-States

•Build 

legitimacy 

through 

consensus 

(strength in 

numbers)

•Deny potential 

adversaries 

from gaining 

legal superiority

•Legal 

environment is 

prepared in 

favor of U.S./ 

A&P  freedom 

of action 

• Potential 

adversaries are 

deterred from 

undermining 

RBIO 

USINDOPACOM’s counter-lawfare concept supports integrated deterrence in accordance with the National Security 

Strategy and the National Defense Strategy and is nested under the USINDOPACOM Theater Campaign Plan. 

1 – Information 

2 – Partnership 

“Legal Vigilance”: The monitoring and assessment of the legal environment. Maintaining legal vigilance ensures USINDOPACOM and its allies and partners are 

able to identify threats (including PRC “legal warfare”), integrate across the combined joint force, and implement action to uphold the rule of law. 
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INDOPACOM Tactical Aids: Building Blocks of 

Counter-lawfare

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INDOPACOM’s Tactical Aids 

(TACAIDs) are building blocks of 

the counter-lawfare program.

TACAIDs contribute to deterrence

by reinforcing the legitimacy 

INDOPACOM and A&P objectives 

and exposing and opposing 

illegitimate activities. TACAID 

content informs leadership, staff, 

and partners, and supports 

planning and execution of 

operations and activities 

consistent with the Theater 

Campaign Plan. 

Each TACAID has a proposed 

“Counter-Lawfare” section with 

language that can be used across 

the information environment, 

subject to approval by appropriate 

authorities. TACAIDs are 

coordinated with experts, posted 

on INDOPACOM’s public webpage, 

and shared with partners.

UNCLASSIFIED
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Legal Vigilance Cycle: Counter-Lawfare in Execution

Identify

Opportunity

Integrate

Partnership

Implement

Actions

Exploit

Effects

Analyze

Assess

Execution Cycle: Identify, Integrate, Implement, Exploit, Analyze (I3EA)

Cross-Functional Joint / Combined

J2, J3X, J39, J5, J02A, Info 

Director, CRT, SFG, FPA, 

CST, DATTs

Cross-COCOM, Services, 

A&P, interagency, 

academia, think tanks
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UNCLASSIFIED

Law as a Domain of Competition

Legal Cooperation

- Contact info

- Communication

Legal Engagement

- Regular dialogue

- Exchange of 

Ideas

Legal 

Collaboration

- Rehearse

- One Team 

Legal Output

- Products

- Advice 

Legal Vigilance - Legal Integration - Legal resilience – Legal Deterrence 
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Way Forward – Current Initiatives

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

• Public webpage: U.S. IndoPacific Command > Contact > 

Directory > J0 > J06 Staff Judge 

Advocate (pacom.mil)

• Expanded Email Distributions

• Legal Vigilance Dispatch 

Quarterly Newsletters 

• Develop doctrine, policy, EXORD

• Expanded partnerships: 

bilateral, multilateral, NATO

• Leverage assessments tools 
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Contact Info

USINDOPACOM Joint Operational Law Team

Organizational email: j06.pacom@pacom.mil

Office Phone: +1-808-477-7532