Military
823 Articles

Costs of War Can’t Be Assessed Without Official Civilian Casualty Estimates
A response to Maj. General Charles Dunlap and others who argue that tracking civilian casualties is like tallying "body counts" in Vietnam.

The Mattis Transgender Policy Will Go Into Effect Next Friday
Last Tuesday, in response to a government motion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit altered its previous schedule and ordered the Clerk to issue the…

Canadian Supreme Court’s Chance to Reform Its Military Justice System
An upcoming Canadian Supreme Court decision may force significant changes to Canada’s military justice system.

Less Transparency Won’t Fix a Lack of Transparency: A Response to Gen. Dunlap on Civilian Casualty Reporting Requirements
"Dunlap’s perspective is a valuable one, and a robust debate on the parameters of transparency around U.S. counterterrorism operations is warranted. But mischaracterizing the…

Breaking the Silence on Civilian Casualties from U.S. Air Strikes in Somalia
A new report by Amnesty International documents 14 civilian deaths and 8 injuries - none acknowledged by AFRICOM - in five U.S. air strikes in Somalia.

Body Counts Are Terrible Way for the Public to Assess US Counter-Terrorism Operations
Retired General Charlie Dunlap writes that partial transparency on civilian casualty reports may be worse than none.

Reflecting on the Civilian Casualty Executive Order: What Was Lost and What Can Now Be Gained
What information did the public just lose with Trump's decision, and what can Congress do beyond just restoring it? Civilian casualties in wartime reporting and minimization.

Trump’s Revocation of Reporting on Lethal Strikes: All Eyes on Congress, Now
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order revoking a section of President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on civilian casualties that required annual reporting…

Military Construction Funds and Local Politics that Will Shape GOP’s Stance on Trump’s Emergency Declaration
The politics of military construction will make the upcoming Senate vote on Trump's national emergency declaration a tough one for GOP members: they face a series of bad options…

What You Need to Know about the “National Emergency Declaration”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated after the President’s announcement to add a fifth analysis. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday,…

The Pentagon’s Latest Report on Civilian Casualties Policy
Late on Friday night, the Pentagon submitted to Congress and publicly released a 17-page report required under the 2019 John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)…

Avoiding the Next Yemen: Applying Hard Lessons for Security Partnerships
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen, wrought by a conflict entering its fourth year, has called into question the nature and purpose of American security partnership with Saudi Arabia.…