Military
802 Articles

AFRICOM’s Improved Civilian Casualty Reporting System Still Leaves Gaps for Somalia
Only with more ways to submit reports and the proper followup can the U.S. military start to rebuild trust among communities harmed by its actions.

Treaty Banning Cluster Munitions Turns 10, but Without the US
This November, Switzerland will convene the milestone Second Review Conference for the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Lausanne, but the U.S. is likely to be absent, as usual.

The President’s Private Army
How did we get here? Goitein discusses legal and political obstacles that faced President Trump's resort to other federal forces, why DHS is now his weapon of choice, what it may…

Bill Barr’s Playbook: His False Claims About Prior Military Force on U.S. Soil
The Insurrection Act, Operation Hawkeye and what really happened

Non-lethal Assistance and the Syrian Conflict: Lessons from the Netherlands
Whether one thinks of Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Ukraine, third-State involvement is undeniably a common feature of many – if not most – ongoing non-international armed conflicts.…

Portland’s Pretext: Barr’s Long History Manipulating Law to Put Federal Forces on U.S. Streets
In a 2001 interview, Bill Barr boasted that he came up with the idea in 1989.

Iraq’s Raid on Iran-Backed Militias: Is the New Prime Minister Ready to Rein Them In?
The units are at last coming under much-needed pressure from Baghdad to adhere to the rule of law. The international coalition can support that effort.

Preparing the Public for a Contested Election
While perhaps once thought too far-fetched to discuss out loud in serious company, concerns that Donald Trump will refuse to leave office even if he loses the November election…

DOD’s New Ex Gratia Policy: What’s Right, What’s Wrong, and What’s Next
On June 22, the Department of Defense (DOD) issued an interim policy regulation for providing ex gratia payments to civilians harmed as a result of U.S. military operations. It…

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…

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.

A Solution in Search of a Problem: The Dangerous Invalidity of Divesting Military Commanders of Disposition Authority for Military Criminal Offenses
Introducing an Open Letter from former U.S. Military Commanders and Judge Advocates to the Committees on Armed Services of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.