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This text examines the internal dimension of Common Article 1 to the Geneva Conventions, asking whether the obligation to “ensure respect” for international humanitarian law extends to fostering the moral engagement of its practitioners. Drawing in particular on empirical research by the ICRC, it argues that moral engagement is the primary factor of compliance and that key IHL norms are drafted on the assumption that such engagement will be operative. The text contends that the due diligence component of Common Article 1 includes a requirement to promote and maintain moral engagement within State armed forces and that, in light of existing structures of training and command, this represents a generally reasonable imposition on States.