Civilized War in the Context of War Theory and Military Art

The relevance of the study is stipulated by the need to substantiate the system of prerequisites under which it is already possible, if not to completely eliminate war as a social phenomenon, then to make armed struggle, as the main criterion of war or armed conflict, civilised and humane. Such prerequisites are: civilised international policy of the world's states - the creation of interstate and supranational institutions; strengthening of trust and mutual respect between states; globalisation of social policy – the growth of ties between social systems and national cultures, which contributes to the formation of public consciousness; development of international humanitarian law as a regulator of the behaviour of the subjects of armed confrontation. The main purpose of the article is to emphasise that the idea of civilized behaviour of the subjects of armed confrontation should first of all be based on certain theoretical statements in the science of war, which is divided into two branches in well-known studies: "the science of war", which is one of the sciences of sociology; and "the science of warfare", as a theory of military art. The work uses a comprehensive approach that includes the following methods: historical analysis, comparative analysis, problematic and chronological analysis, and retrospective research, etc.The main results of the article are as follows: a certain contribution to the science of warfare through the introduction of the new concept of "civilized war" into the existing conceptual apparatus and its interpretation; a certain contribution to the theory of military art through the supplementation of the system of principles of military art with the principles of civilised behaviour, which should be understood as the development of the system under the influence of the situation when society is looking for ways to humanise warfare. The universality of these principles lies in their influence on both the principles (rules) of a soldier's behaviour in battle and some principles of command and control. The implementation of the principles of civilized combat behaviour forms a new behavioural model of a warrior, which, in addition to the defined rules of engagement, includes their projection onto moral and ethical norms and legal regulators. The practical significance of the study is that the implementation of theoretical considerations regarding the possibilities and prerequisites for making wars civilised requires active organisational measures to form certain institutional structures and a mechanism for implementing the rules of civilised behaviour in the processes of training and use of troops. The legality and legitimacy of the formation and functioning of institutions and the mechanism for implementing civilised behaviour is a lever for the strict implementation of the provisions of international humanitarian law in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The materials of the article can be used by the heads of the military authorities of the Defence Forces of Ukraine, as well as for further research by scholars in the field of security and defence.