This article describes the evolution, motivation and structure of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and its contribution to international humanitarian law. It explains the respective roles of its three components: the National Societies, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It highlights the ICRC's experience of war surgery and emphasises the relevance of this for the military medical services, especially for the training of military surgeons and anaesthetists.