In a Dangerous World, New Pentagon Mitigation Plan Would Hobble U.S. Forces
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
@ 10:00 AM
By Lt. Gen. David Deptula (ret.)
Minimizing the potential for civilian casualties is a noble and moral endeavor. But future conflicts will not be risk free. Conflicts never were.
One must admire the intent behind Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s new Department of Defense (DOD) Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP). Yet the recommendations in this plan threaten to undermine U.S. combatant forces and their commanders, limiting America’s ability to wage war and potentially increasing the risk of civilian casualties in the future.
American political leaders have done our nation a disservice by failing to explain to the public that civilian casualties are an unfortunate reality in war. Instead of reiterating that important fact, the Austin report’s recommendations perpetuate an unrealistic expectation: that the U.S. can apply lethal force with great omniscience, in a fully informed environment with little—if any—risk.
The plan provides 11 objectives aimed at the prevention of civilian harm and responses if it occurs. These include, among others, the creation of defense-wide procedures to assess civilian harm; updated guidance on the DOD’s public responses to civilian harm; and the integration of processes to limit the potential for “target misidentification,” including a focus on psychological biases. It requires no further review as it is a directive from the defense secretary.
https://defenseopinion.com/in-a-dangerous-world-new-pentagon-mitigation-plan-would-hobble-u-s-forces/183/
