Lawful or Unlawful Combatants?

[Raellus]

I'm wondering how the various legitimate military forces would handle the numerous armed "factions" in the Twilight World. What would the ROEs be? Would there be a SOP for dealng with unidentified armed groups?

I was playing in an Armies of the Night PbP and I realized that, in my T2K experience, pretty much every armed group is engaged with deadly force on sight. Of course, when approaching a settlement, most players tend to be cautious and cognizant of the potential presence of legitimate militia forces. But out in the open country, it seems like it's open season on anyone not in the uniform of the PC's national or allied military. How does one differentiate between a marauder and an armed civilian simply trying to defend him or herself? Are all armed people considered hostile? What about legitimate militias and civil defense forces? How does one keep track and tell the difference?

In very recent times, the U.S. military has had a really hard time acting as a police force. It's just not a job to which modern military forces are well suited. This would be a big problem in most theatres but especially in the U.S. with its proliferation of firearms and dueling governments.

Your thoughts?