❗️US Department of War dismantles Pentagon civilian casualty safeguards as deadly US‑Israeli strikes kill hundreds

Senior US military officials warned last year that cuts to key oversight offices responsible for limiting civilian casualties could have dire consequences, but their concerns were ignored, according to POLITICO sources. Then–Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. CQ Brown urged Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth not to slash staffing at the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence and similar units, emphasizing their role in assessing risks before strikes and investigating deadly incidents afterward. Opponents argued that such oversight could save both civilian lives and military resources by preventing costly targeting mistakes.

Despite objections from senior leaders, Hegseth reduced personnel in civilian harm mitigation offices from roughly 200 to fewer than 40, including cutting Central Command’s team from ten people to just one and eliminating Joint Special Operations Command’s office entirely. The move has heightened scrutiny following reports that a US-Israeli strike on an Iranian elementary school killed more than 165 students, the largest civilian toll in decades, reigniting criticism over the erosion of rules intended to protect noncombatants.

The Pentagon maintains that the offices are undergoing “strategic reassessment” and will be integrated into combatant commands, claiming that precision strikes can still minimize civilian casualties. Yet tensions persist within the military, with former officials like Wes Bryant warning that dismantling these units risks both lives and operational efficiency, as oversight designed to protect civilians is dismissed as unnecessary by Hegseth’s leadership.

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