Lead

The Pentagon's internal watchdog has concluded that the US military no longer has the people, tools, or infrastructure needed to fully comply with federal laws requiring a functioning civilian casualty policy. The finding, detailed in an inspector general's report released Thursday, describes the dismantling of a program created in 2022 to prevent and respond to civilian deaths in US military operations.

The report focuses on the implementation of the Pentagon's Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), which was mandated to take full effect by the end of 2025. According to the watchdog, the Department of War—the Pentagon's new name under Secretary Pete Hegseth—did not fully implement any of the plan's objectives by that deadline.

Coverage Comparison

Two outlets, The Guardian and The Intercept, both reported on the inspector general's findings, though they emphasized different aspects. The Guardian framed the story around the quiet dismantling of a legally required program, while The Intercept focused on the severity of the cuts and the inability to protect civilians. Both attributed the situation to the Trump administration's policies and actions.

The reports noted that the program has not been officially canceled, but funding has ended for a data management platform, committee meetings have halted, and many dedicated personnel have been lost or reassigned. As the inspector general's report stated, "the DoW may not comply with its civilian casualties and harm policy," which is required by federal law.

Key Claims

  • The inspector general's report found that the US military did not fully implement any of the CHMR-AP objectives by the end of fiscal year 2025.
  • The report documented serious deficiencies and chronic failure to meet timelines for 11 objectives, comprising 133 incomplete implementing actions.
  • Funding for the data management platform has ended, committee meetings have halted, and personnel have been lost or reassigned.
  • The report concluded that the US military may not comply with its civilian casualties and harm policy, which is required by federal law.

Perspectives

Critic's View

Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Protection of Civilians in Conflict Caucus, called the situation "a crisis of the Trump Administration's own making." She said the cuts to staffing and funding have left civilians and military personnel at risk, and that the inspector general's report is clear about the consequences: "wasted munitions, failed strikes, damaged alliances, and propaganda."

Former Official's Concern

The former chief of harm assessments at the Pentagon's Civilian Protection Center of Excellence went further, calling the inspector general's report a "whitewash" that downplays the evisceration of the Center and the entire enterprise devoted to reducing civilian casualties. This criticism suggests that even the watchdog's findings may understate the severity of the situation.

Context and Corroboration

The program was created by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in January 2022, following years of deadly US bombing campaigns in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. Airwars, a civilian harm monitor, estimated that US drone and airstrikes killed at least 22,000 civilians—and perhaps as many as 48,000—in the 20 years after the 9/11 attacks.

The watchdog's report comes amid scrutiny of recent US strikes in Iran. A reported US strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab killed at least 175 people, mostly children, according to The Guardian and The Intercept. The same day the inspector general's report was released, the top US commander overseeing the war in Iran dismissed reports of civilian casualties and said the US had no means to corroborate reports of strikes on hospitals and schools. The inspector general specifically noted that the military had stopped funding a database that tracks civilian harm, which could have been used for such verification.

The Intercept also reported that the US has killed over 2,000 civilians across the world during Trump's second term, though this figure is attributed to a single source and has not been independently verified. Additionally, Airwars has tracked reports of at least 224 civilians killed in Yemen during Operation Rough Rider, according to The Intercept.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from The Guardian. The full impact of the program's dismantling remains to be seen, but the inspector general's report makes clear that the US military's ability to prevent and respond to civilian casualties has been severely diminished.