Name: Deployment of the Immediate Reaction Force (aka "IRFings")

Source: Standard operating procedures for Joint Task Force Guantanamo; Guantanamo by David Rose; lawsuits by detainees; ACLU documents gained through FOIA

Description: Guantanamo has an "Immediate Reaction Force," ostensibly to respond to threats like a riot. According to interviews with former detainees and declarations filed in lawsuits by former detainees, military police sent the IRF into cells to punish detainees for slight infractions, like having an extra water cup or talking back to a military police guard. A team of heavily armored military police would rush into a cell to grab a detainee, forcibly subdue him, bind him, and take him out. In one IRF training session, a U.S. soldier was beaten so badly that he was eventually medically discharged from service with a permanent brain injury.

Physical, Psychological, or Other Effects: The use of physical force, particularly by well-trained and armored soldiers against unprotected detainees, has frequently resulted in severe physical injuries.

Locations Used: Guantanamo Bay

Legal Opinion: According to military police doctrine, detention facilities should have a "quick reaction force" capable of responding to threats. The Geneva Conventions recognize that force is sometimes needed to maintain order inside prisons. But according to international and military law, guard forces must be trained to abide by rules of engagement that specify and limit the circumstances under which they can use force. The extreme incidents documented at Guantanamo could stray beyond these rules of engagement and violate international law, as well as the UCMJ.