This book examines ombuds institutions for the armed forces as mechanisms of accountability, human rights protection, and democratic oversight.

The volume examines the history, institutional design, and practices of ombuds institutions for the armed forces, as well as the challenges they face across a diverse range of legal and political settings. In doing so, the book seeks to illustrate their importance within the broader ecosystem of democratic security governance, as providers of independent oversight with a unique interface to the individual and the capacity to engage with the day to day, administrative, and interpersonal dimensions of military authority. Combining desk research, comparative legal analysis, and insights from practitioner exchanges in the context of the International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces (ICOAF), the book offers an analytical account of these institutions that is grounded in the contexts in which they operate and the conditions that shape their work. Furthermore, new emerging challenges are also covered, such as the pandemic, climate change, protection of the mental health of soldiers, protection against sexual abuse and exploitation, digitalization, ombuds’ role in peace support operations, and the challenges of operating in an armed conflict and in the context of democratic backsliding.

This book will be of much interest to students of military studies, human rights, law and security studies, as well as practitioners.

Luka Glušac is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. Previously, he spent nine years working in the Secretariat of the Protector of Citizens (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Serbia.

Daniel Reimers is Programme Manager in the Research and Training Entity at the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), Switzerland. He has worked extensively with ombuds institutions for the armed forces, leading DCAF’s Ombuds Programme.