Military
813 Articles

Justice Dept Must Open Criminal Investigation Into Potential War Crimes by U.S. Mercenaries in Yemen
the Justice Dept has clear authority to investigate a band of American mercenaries for alleged killings carried out in Yemen, acts which may amount to murder or war crimes.

Bolstered EU Force Could Help Stabilize Bosnia, as Russia and Elections Close In
On Oct. 7, Bosnia will hold its most contentious and divisive elections since the war that killed 100,000 people in the 1990s. The risk of state disintegration in the immediate…

Many Problems with Forever War: Being Too Humane Is Not One of Them
A challenge to the notion that increasing humanity in war is a bad thing from two people who work for a non-governmental organization devoted to the protection of civilians.…

Grading the Pompeo Certification on Yemen War and Civilian Protection: Time for Serious Reconsideration
Former State Department official (stepped down in May 2017) and top expert on civilian casualties and targeting operations analyzes the State Department's certification to Congress,…

Civilian Control of the Military During an Age of Trump and “Administrative Coups”
Since President Donald Trump’s election, concerns about the health of civilian control of the military and civil-military relations have garnered considerable media attention.…

Condolence Payments for Civilian Casualties: Lessons for Applying the New NDAA
The new National Defense Authorization Act can help improve the way the U.S. responds to civilian casualties. FOIA requests and interviews with DoD officials, U.S. soldiers, judge…

US Military Admits It Killed Dozens More Civilians Than Previously Acknowledged. Now What?
In June and July, the US-led Coalition of countries fighting the armed group calling itself the Islamic State admitted that reports of civilian casualties it had previously dismissed…

Is Trump Providing the Push the EU Needs to Boost Its Own Defense?
While the European Union has steadily built a common defense policy and capability, Trump’s recent antics might have provided the necessary kick to accelerate and expand those…

Precision and Civilian Casualties: Policymakers Believe Drones Can Be Precise. That May Not Be Enough.
What do policymakers’ own views of drones – particularly as they relate to civilian casualties – reflect, and how do those views affect policymaking?

Two Important New Civilian Casualties Provisions in the Defense Authorization Bill
Draft text of the annual defense authorization bill contains two important provisions related to civilian casualties resulting from U.S. military operations.

Overdue US Admission that Civilians Were Killed in Syria Strike Is Still Insufficient
It finally admitted to it. After months of denying that any civilians died, the United States-led coalition in Syria has finally recognized that its strike on a boarding school…

Letter to the Editor: Why Larger Defense Budgets Don’t Need to Come at the Expense of “Soft Power”
In his recent post (“The National Security Threat of Trump’s Defense Budget”) Bishop Garrison argues that the Trump administration’s proposed increases to the defense budget…