Estimates of the number of civilians killed in the current war against terrorism, now in its 19th year, range from hundreds of thousands to over 2 million. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ro Khanna Introduce Bill to Increase Military Accountability for Civilian Casualties
Since waging the world’s only nuclear war at the end of World War II, the United States military has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet, by far.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) this week introduced a bicameral bill meant to improve reporting, investigation and, ultimately, prevention of civilian casualties.
On Wednesday, Khanna introduced the Protection of Civilians In Military Operations Act, which he said will "ensure that the Pentagon provides accurate data not only on civilians killed in direct US military operations, but also on civilians killed by US partner forces, such as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen."
"This bill also takes the essential step of requiring the Pentagon to establish a publicly accessible database of its investigations into civilian casualties," he added. "Maximizing transparency will prevent further loss of life."
Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions.
On Thursday, Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the bill in the Senate. The former Democratic presidential candidate said that protecting civilians was not only "a national security priority" but also a "moral and ethical imperative."
As it is currently written, the bill requires military commanders to appoint officers from outside their unit or chain of command to investigate civilian casualties caused by their unit. It also requires personnel involved in investigating civilian casualties to stay away from troops directly involved in military operations. Each commander of a geographic combatant command must also establish uninterrupted lines of communications between their command and the chief of mission in any country where they are operating.
The bill also requires the secretary of defense to create a publicly accessible and searchable database of all Pentagon reports of investigations of civilian casualties, including the results of such probes. Furthermore, it requires the appointment of at least two designated officials in seven of the 11 US military combatant commands -- Central Command, Africa Command, Special Operations Command, European Command, Southern Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command -- who will oversee casualty prevention and response. It allocates a modest $5 million annual budget for casualty prevention training and response, and for maintenance of the investigation database. Finally, the bill requires the Pentagon to include in its annual civilian casualties report a list of each advise, assist and accompany mission on which such casualties or human rights abuses by foreign partner forces are observed.
The Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act is supported by the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Human Rights First, Common Defense, Human Rights Watch, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and Amnesty International USA.
Since waging the world's only nuclear war at the end of World War II, the United States military has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet, by far. Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions. Estimates of the number of civilians killed in the current war against terrorism, now in its 19th year, range from hundreds of thousands to over 2 million. But again, nobody knows for sure, because, as General Tommy Franks said during the early years of the war in Afghanistan, "we don't do body counts."
Accountability, which was already lacking during the Bush and Obama administrations, has been rolled back even further under President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to "bomb the shit out of" Islamic State militants and "take out their families," a war crime. The president has kept his promise, and civilian deaths have soared in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia during his tenure. The Trump administration has also loosened rules of engagement meant to protect civilians, and last year the president revoked an Obama-era rule that required the government to disclose annual estimates of civilians killed by US air strikes outside of conventional war zones.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) this week introduced a bicameral bill meant to improve reporting, investigation and, ultimately, prevention of civilian casualties.
On Wednesday, Khanna introduced the Protection of Civilians In Military Operations Act, which he said will "ensure that the Pentagon provides accurate data not only on civilians killed in direct US military operations, but also on civilians killed by US partner forces, such as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen."
"This bill also takes the essential step of requiring the Pentagon to establish a publicly accessible database of its investigations into civilian casualties," he added. "Maximizing transparency will prevent further loss of life."
Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions.
On Thursday, Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the bill in the Senate. The former Democratic presidential candidate said that protecting civilians was not only "a national security priority" but also a "moral and ethical imperative."
As it is currently written, the bill requires military commanders to appoint officers from outside their unit or chain of command to investigate civilian casualties caused by their unit. It also requires personnel involved in investigating civilian casualties to stay away from troops directly involved in military operations. Each commander of a geographic combatant command must also establish uninterrupted lines of communications between their command and the chief of mission in any country where they are operating.
The bill also requires the secretary of defense to create a publicly accessible and searchable database of all Pentagon reports of investigations of civilian casualties, including the results of such probes. Furthermore, it requires the appointment of at least two designated officials in seven of the 11 US military combatant commands -- Central Command, Africa Command, Special Operations Command, European Command, Southern Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command -- who will oversee casualty prevention and response. It allocates a modest $5 million annual budget for casualty prevention training and response, and for maintenance of the investigation database. Finally, the bill requires the Pentagon to include in its annual civilian casualties report a list of each advise, assist and accompany mission on which such casualties or human rights abuses by foreign partner forces are observed.
The Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act is supported by the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Human Rights First, Common Defense, Human Rights Watch, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and Amnesty International USA.
Since waging the world's only nuclear war at the end of World War II, the United States military has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet, by far. Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions. Estimates of the number of civilians killed in the current war against terrorism, now in its 19th year, range from hundreds of thousands to over 2 million. But again, nobody knows for sure, because, as General Tommy Franks said during the early years of the war in Afghanistan, "we don't do body counts."
Accountability, which was already lacking during the Bush and Obama administrations, has been rolled back even further under President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to "bomb the shit out of" Islamic State militants and "take out their families," a war crime. The president has kept his promise, and civilian deaths have soared in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia during his tenure. The Trump administration has also loosened rules of engagement meant to protect civilians, and last year the president revoked an Obama-era rule that required the government to disclose annual estimates of civilians killed by US air strikes outside of conventional war zones.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) this week introduced a bicameral bill meant to improve reporting, investigation and, ultimately, prevention of civilian casualties.
On Wednesday, Khanna introduced the Protection of Civilians In Military Operations Act, which he said will "ensure that the Pentagon provides accurate data not only on civilians killed in direct US military operations, but also on civilians killed by US partner forces, such as the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen."
"This bill also takes the essential step of requiring the Pentagon to establish a publicly accessible database of its investigations into civilian casualties," he added. "Maximizing transparency will prevent further loss of life."
Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions.
On Thursday, Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the bill in the Senate. The former Democratic presidential candidate said that protecting civilians was not only "a national security priority" but also a "moral and ethical imperative."
As it is currently written, the bill requires military commanders to appoint officers from outside their unit or chain of command to investigate civilian casualties caused by their unit. It also requires personnel involved in investigating civilian casualties to stay away from troops directly involved in military operations. Each commander of a geographic combatant command must also establish uninterrupted lines of communications between their command and the chief of mission in any country where they are operating.
The bill also requires the secretary of defense to create a publicly accessible and searchable database of all Pentagon reports of investigations of civilian casualties, including the results of such probes. Furthermore, it requires the appointment of at least two designated officials in seven of the 11 US military combatant commands -- Central Command, Africa Command, Special Operations Command, European Command, Southern Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command -- who will oversee casualty prevention and response. It allocates a modest $5 million annual budget for casualty prevention training and response, and for maintenance of the investigation database. Finally, the bill requires the Pentagon to include in its annual civilian casualties report a list of each advise, assist and accompany mission on which such casualties or human rights abuses by foreign partner forces are observed.
The Protection of Civilians in Military Operations Act is supported by the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), Human Rights First, Common Defense, Human Rights Watch, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and Amnesty International USA.
Since waging the world's only nuclear war at the end of World War II, the United States military has killed more foreign civilians than any other armed force on the planet, by far. Poor accounting and accountability mean that no one can say for sure how many innocent men, women and children have been killed by US bombs and bullets in the more than 20 nations subjected to American attack, invasion or occupation over the past 75 years, but the number is certainly in the millions. Estimates of the number of civilians killed in the current war against terrorism, now in its 19th year, range from hundreds of thousands to over 2 million. But again, nobody knows for sure, because, as General Tommy Franks said during the early years of the war in Afghanistan, "we don't do body counts."
Accountability, which was already lacking during the Bush and Obama administrations, has been rolled back even further under President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to "bomb the shit out of" Islamic State militants and "take out their families," a war crime. The president has kept his promise, and civilian deaths have soared in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia during his tenure. The Trump administration has also loosened rules of engagement meant to protect civilians, and last year the president revoked an Obama-era rule that required the government to disclose annual estimates of civilians killed by US air strikes outside of conventional war zones.