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AbstractMeeting a need, the United States Army, Europe, (USAREUR) developed an environmental protection program that is unique and critical to the success of Operations Joint Endeavor, Joint Guard, and Joint Forge (OJE, OJG, & OJF). While it meets the needs of the soldiers on the ground, it also complies with international agreements and host nation laws. Bosnia‐Herzegovina's situation is very different from that of Hungary. Hungary has highly developed government structures that are capable of expressing and enforcing their laws. In Bosnia‐Herzegovina, so devastated by war, virtually all government activity is nonexistent. As of this writing, there are no environmental protection laws of the kind that Western democracies would recognize. The two most important environmental issues in Bosnia‐Herzegovina today are the establishment of public utilities services, such as water and wastewater treatment, and control of forest management. Lacking Army guidance for environmental protection during contingency operations and local host nation environmental laws, U.S. forces developed the Bosnia‐Herzegovina environmental protection program. It was established solely in accordance with our own best technical and business judgment to meet the U.S. forces' needs. Begun during the early stages of the Operation, the program has grown and matured. The U.S. Army commitment to environmental protection during operations outside the United States and in unregulated environments is demonstrated daily in the Balkans. The comprehensive program not only provides environmental protection, but also contributes to force protection and becomes a mission enabler.

I defend some of Gilbert's central claims about our capacity jointly to commit ourselves, and what follows from an exercise of it. I argue that, to explain these claims, we do not need to suppose, as Gilbert does, that we ever are jointly committed, that is, jointly in a state of being committed. I offer a diagnosis of why the gratuitousness of this supposition has been overlooked.