Department of Defense (DoD)

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Smoke billowing out of buidlings following a coalition air strike in the western al-Daraiya neighbourhood of the embattled northern Syrian city of Raqa on September 5, 2017.

Toward a Consistent and Coherent Ex Gratia Policy for Civilian Casualties

The summer of 2017 was an extended nightmare for the Badrans. Over the course of several weeks, 39 members of Rasha Badran’s family, most of them women and children, were killed…
Aaron Zelinsky, John Elias, Dr. Rick Bright, Capt. Brett E. Crozier, Mary Elizabeth Taylor, Elaine McCusker, Bill Taylor, George Kent, David Holmes, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, Laura Cooper, Jennifer Wiliams

Patriotism and Justice on an Unusual Independence Day

Former Acting Attorney General, who served in George HW Bush and Clinton administrations and as an advisor to several Presidents, calls for officials to resist unethical directives,…
Fort Bragg Air Assault School

Decoy Amendment Jeopardizes the Moment for Renaming Confederate-Dubbed Bases

The measure would undermine otherwise bipartisan efforts to address these issues, including several worthy alternative proposals.
U.S. Army Fort Benning sign reading, "Welcome to Fort Benning Home of the Maneuver Center"

At Confederate-Named Army Bases, Highlight US Ideals By Renaming Them for Honorable Figures

The facilities should be named after accomplished figures who represent the diversity that makes the country and the Army strong. And there are plenty.
Trump walks with US Attorney General William Barr (L), US Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper (C), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley (R), and others from the White House to St. John's Church where tear gas was used to clear the crowd on June 1, 2020 in Washington DC. Only one person in the background has a face mask. No one is social distanced.

The Untold Power of Bill Barr to Direct US Military Forces in Case of “Civil Unrest”

Whether deployed against protests for racial justice or deployed to interfere with free and fair elections in November, the US military operations would be led by Bill Barr, not…
Medical workers in personal protective equipment (PPE) test for COViD-19 at Abyssinian Baptist Church.

To Fix the COVID-19 Testing Gap, Take a Lesson from GM (or the Pentagon)

The chaotic state of the current COVID testing marketplace is a direct impediment to outbreak control and economic recovery. The federal government should engage in the testing…
Two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors fly above Syria in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, Feb. 2, 2018.

The Fatal Flaw in DOD’s Latest Civilian Casualties Report

Lawmakers and even the Trump administration have increasingly expressed concern about the United States waging an “endless war,” and among those concerns is the impact on civilians…
Afghan men gather near the road as a military convoy by soldiers from the 1st Platoon, 1-64 Armoured Batallion, US Army - operating under NATO - roll-past security patrols at Morghan-Kecha village in Daman district, Kandahar on September 6, 2012.

Here’s What the New DoD Policy on Civilian Harm Should Include

It should standardize good practice and set the bar where it belongs: safeguarding civilian life from the effects of U.S. military operations.
US Army from NATO and Afghan commando forces at a checkpoint during a patrol against Islamic State militants at the Deh Bala district in the eastern province of Nangarhar Province. There are multiple vehicles around the checkpoint.

Grading DOD’s Annual Civilian Casualties Report: “Incomplete”

The new information demonstrates how much progress the department has made and yet how much of a paradigm shift is still needed for full accountability.
Soldiers attached to the 101st Resolute Support Sustainment Brigade from the 1034th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Iowa National Guard and 10th Mountain, 2-14 Infantry Battalion, Ghost Forward Support Company load onto a Chinook helicopter to head out and execute missions across the Combined Joint Operations Area- Afghanistan

Why We Filed a FOIA Request on How Many US Troops Are in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria

Last night, Just Security filed FOIA requests with the Defense Department seeking U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
U.S. Army trainers instruct Iraqi Army recruits at a military base on April 12, 2015 in Taji, Iraq.

U.S. Security Aid Is a Faith-Based Policy

The US government requires more empirical evidence for aid to help improve livelihoods abroad than for financing weapons used to destroy them.
Trump and Defense Secretary Mark Esper at a press conference on the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the White House on March 18, 2020.

Trump Administration Has Not Earned Privilege to Speak Anonymously — Especially During a National Crisis

The coronavirus crisis is exposing just how costly it can be when an administration knowingly misleads the public or refuses to provide a basic level of transparency.
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