US Military
324 Articles
The Pentagon’s 2018 Civilian Casualties Report: What’s In It and What’s Next
The Pentagon’s latest annual report, released this morning, lists shockingly low numbers of "credible" civilian casualties. It also illustrated the need for better processes…
Transparency on Civilian Harm in Somalia Matters – Not Just to Americans
"Under the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations, much of the commentary on the use of lethal force in counterterrorism operations has focused on the importance of transparency…
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…
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.
What’s the Mission in Syria? The Answer May be Illegal and Without U.S. Allies’ Support
Statements about a US "peacekeeping" force and a mission to counter-Iran raise serious legal questions and threaten to unravel U.S. allies' support for future U.S. operations inside…
About that Trial Balloon on Using 9/11 AUMF to Authorize Strikes on Iran
Monday’s Washington Times included a breathless “Exclusive” report titled “Iran-al Qaeda Alliance May Provide Legal Rationale for U.S. Military Strikes.” In the piece,…
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.…
Pentagon’s Climate Change Report Lacks Analysis the Law Requires
Hurricanes and wildfires in the U.S. and humanitarian crises abroad illustrated the national security impact of climate change in 2018. Yet the Pentagon’s congressionally required…
Annotation of the Pentagon Report to Congress on Detainee Abuse by U.S. Partners in Yemen
In a mere two pages of carefully parsed prose, DoD has provided what can only be described as a deliberately misleading and deceptively evasive account of U.S. and Emirati actions…
U.S. Air Strike Data from Afghanistan Takes Step Back in Transparency
The U.S. military has stopped publishing important information on its air war in Afghanistan, just two months after deciding to release it. In October, the U.S. began publishing…
U.S. Lethal Operations in Somalia Are On the Rise. But Are They Effective?
A deep-rooted ideology cannot be defeated with bombs dropped from the sky. What is needed is a real shift in strategy.
How the “Arms Sales Oversight Act” Could Prevent American Arms from Contributing to the Next Overseas Crisis
The debate over U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe is coming to a head in the Senate, with a series of votes on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy war powers resolution.…