At the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC), we seek to explore and understand contemporary challenges concerning armed conflict through the lens of international law. We combine traditional public international law research with targeted analysis of today’s changing security environments. Our mode is critical, independent, and rigorous. With a focus on depth over breadth, we aim to reaffirm the centrality of international law in regulating war-fighting, in diminishing harmful effects of armed conflict, and in protecting civilians.