Abstract : In the asymmetric environment - from traditional peacekeeping to counterinsurgency (COIN) - American service members are thrust into situations where they must make use of deadly force decisions that are analogous to civilian law enforcement operations. Despite mandatory guidance from the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff that "commanders, at all levels, shall ensure that individuals within their respective units understand and are trained on when and how to use force in self-defense"1, the dangerous, and sometimes tragic, reality is that the Services are not fulfilling this mandate. This creates a heightened risk for friendly forces and a greater likelihood of legally inappropriate uses of force that might undermine strategic successes. This article proposes that U.S. Joint Forces Command develop, manage and sustain a use of deadly force instructor certification program that would ensure joint standards for master trainers from the diverse services on well-defined yet routinely ignored universal truths concerning not only the law, but also the tactical realities surrounding deadly force encounters. America's "Strategic Corporals" trained to the right legal and tactical standard will more likely win and survive in today's deadly force encounters.