Do these fossils in the military (assuming they are not made up by the author) realize we're not fighting the cold war against standing armies any more?
New wars require new tactics.
Civilians not in uniform caught fighting, may be executed when captured.
Civilians acting as saboteurs, may be executed when captured.
(Remember all those movies about soldiers behind enemy lines not wanting to put on civilian clothes and get out of uniform? There was a reason for that.)