Part II Commentaries to Typical Sofa Rules, 13 Permits and Licences

Subject(s):

Military assistance — Military matters

This chapter explains issues regarding the operation of vehicles by military and accompanying personnel in a different country. As is the case with criminal jurisdiction, the question of authority to operate motor vehicles by these individuals was initially a question of the ‘Law of the Flag’. When forces brought military vehicles and equipment into a host country with its consent, they were deemed to be authorized to operate such motor vehicles and equipment for which they had been trained and certified by the Sending State. The stationing of large numbers of troops, civilian personnel, and accompanying family members in peacetime after the founding of the Atlantic Alliance also necessitated more detailed rules and regulations for driving and driving permits. This issue was dealt with in rather similar ways in both the UN Model SOFA and the NATO SOFA.