'''Rules of engagement''' are directives issued by competent [[military]] authority that delineate the circumstances and limitations under which [[military]] forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces encountered.
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'''Rules of engagement''' are directives issued by competent [[military]] authority that delineate the circumstances and limitations under which [[military]] forces will initiate and/or continue combat engagement with other forces encountered. Democratic countries like the United States rely on these rules, allowing local commanders to make decisions which in dictatorships must be referred to higher authority.
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In the [[KAL 007]] shootdown, it was not a failure of rules of engagement that led to the destruction of the civilian airliner; rather, it was a direct order from a land base to the Soviet fighter pilot.