LTC Oren McKnelly served as the chief of operational law in Baghdad, Iraq during 2004 and 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and as command judge advocate in Bagram, Afghanistan during 2006, 2007 and 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In this February 2011 interview, LTC McKnelly discusses the duties of both of those duty positions, the challenges of addressing rules of engagement issues in a high-threat combat environment, and his role in the planning and execution of elections in Iraq in 2004. LTC McKnelly concludes his interview with the observation, "As much as the military has tried to do in terms of stability and nation building, without the interagency component we will never be as effective as we can be. . . I'd like to see more of that. I'd like to see more of my civilian counterparts over there and my commander being able to benefit from their subject matter expertise."

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