Pentagon quietly shut legally required program to prevent civilian deaths by military, watchdog finds
Trump administration accused of cutting military’s civilian harm program in light of US strike on girls school in Iran
TL;DR
- A Pentagon watchdog report concluded the US military no longer has the resources to comply with federal statutes requiring a civilian casualty policy and a Civilian Protection Center of Excellence.
- The Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) program, established in 2022, has seen funding end for its data platform, committee meetings halt, and many dedicated personnel lost or reassigned.
- The Trump administration is accused of making deep cuts to the CHMR program, and the report indicates decisions to cut or eliminate the program were proposed in February.
- The program's steering committee held its last meeting in December, and the inspector general has given the Pentagon until June 12 to provide a plan for compliance.