ABSTRACT
The nature, location, purpose and use criteria are firmly set in the context of the main component of the first element of the definition, namely effective contribution to military action. As the definition states, the contribution must be both effective and connected to military action. This chapter begins with an introduction to economic targets, which is followed by a more comprehensive analysis of the claim that economic objects can be regarded as satisfying the first element of the definition, because they indirectly but effectively sustain a 'war-fighting' or 'war-sustaining' capability. It examines the meaning of the key concepts used by the US, and their consistency with the test of effective contribution to military action. The drafters of Additional Protocol I (API) considered and rejected the notion of 'military effort', as well as other phrases, which meant they were looking for a more precise and refined standard. The API test clearly does not extend beyond contribution to military action.
