Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)
258 Articles

About that “Deconfliction Zone” in Syria: Is the United States on Firm Domestic and International Legal Footing?
The U.S. military has at least three times in recent weeks engaged in hostilities against pro-Syrian regime forces near the At Tanf garrison in southern Syria and shot down a pro-regime…

Important Features of Senators Kaine and Flake’s Proposed War Authorization for ISIS–with Annotations
Just Security serves as a space for discussion of whether now and how exactly Congress should tailor legislation authorizing the Executive Branch to wage war against ISIS. On…

The U.S. Strike against Pro-Assad Forces and the 2001 AUMF
U.S. officials have said that the U.S.-led coalition in Syria struck pro-Assad forces that were advancing inside an established “de-confliction” zone and toward a military…

2 Points by Stephen Preston on a Congressional War Authorization for ISIS
Stephen Preston, former General Counsel to the CIA and to the Department of Defense, was a speaker at a recent Heritage Foundation event entitled, “Is it Time for Congress…

An ISIS AUMF: Where We Are Now, Where to Go Next, and Why It’s So Important to Get It Right
At a Heritage Foundation event on Monday, freshman Senator Todd Young (R-IN) told the audience “it is long past time for Congress to consider and pass an AUMF [authorization…
Reminder by Charlie Savage of Surveillance Implications of ISIS AUMF
Charlie Savage, correspondent for The New York Times and author of “Power Wars,” was a speaker at a recent Heritage Foundation event entitled, “Is it Time for…

Why Congress Should Not Add “Successor Organizations” in Authorizing War Against ISIS
Years from now, what organizations will be the successor entities to Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS? Of course nobody knows the answer, not even the groups themselves. With that…

The Perils of a Congressional Authorization to Fight ISIS
On September 18, 2001, nobody could have imagined how far Congress’s Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) would be stretched nearly sixteen years later and across…
The Troubling Application of the Political Question Doctrine to Congressional Force Authorizations
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Nov. 21 dismissed the suit brought by U.S. Army Captain Nathan Michael Smith challenging the legality of the military campaign…

Questions for the Defense Department’s General Counsel
On Monday, Nov. 28 at 6 p.m., Jennifer O’Connor, general counsel of the Department of Defense, is giving a talk at NYU School of Law on “Applying the Law of Targeting to the…
Smith v. Obama: The Political Question Doctrine Misapplied
Having joined The Constitution Project in an amicus brief in Smith v. Obama, I am disappointed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decided to dismiss the case…

State Dep’t Legal Adviser’s Answer to “Acute Question” on US Mil. Action against Al-Shabaab
On Friday, the Legal Adviser of the State Department, Brian Egan answered questions posed to him by New York Times journalist Charlie Savage on the current reach of Congress’s…