Much has been written on the use of child soldiers in combat. Most of the recent information available has been collected by International Organizations, GOs, NGOs, and the academic researchers. P.W. Singer published "Children at War," (2005) which goes into great detail on the subject from a military perspective. Singer provides some insight into dynamics associated with western militaries confronting child combatants. He does cite OP BARRAS, in which the estimates of West Side Boys casualties ranged from 25-150 killed in action. The highly trained British force had 70 wounded and one killed in action.

Singer identifies that western militaries are hesitant to engage children and offers some approaches to prepare for these inevitable engagements.