{"id":47104,"date":"2019-02-11T20:25:13","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T20:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/11\/pentagon-review-calls-for-changes-to-how-us-investigates-reports-civilian-war-casualties\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:42:39","slug":"pentagon-review-calls-for-changes-to-how-us-investigates-reports-civilian-war-casualties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/02\/11\/pentagon-review-calls-for-changes-to-how-us-investigates-reports-civilian-war-casualties\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon review calls for changes to how US investigates, reports civilian war casualties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. military should refine how it identifies and measures civilian casualties during combat operations, to include greater collaboration with humanitarian groups, according to a recently released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jcs.mil\/Portals\/36\/Documents\/Civilian%20Casualty%20Review%20Report%20Redacted.pdf\" target=_blank>Pentagon report<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report, initiated by former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2019\/02\/06\/dod-officials-irregular-warfare-will-no-longer-suffer-a-boom-bust-cycle-in-eras-of-great-power-competition\/\" target=\"_blank\">Defense Secretary Jim Mattis<\/a> and carried out by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/21\/with-mattis-leaving-the-pentagon-is-dunford-next\/\" target=\"_blank\">Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford<\/a>, focuses on U.S. air and artillery strikes in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya between 2015 and 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also calls for declassification of investigations into civilian casualties, or CIVCAS, when appropriate, investment in tools to assist ground force commanders in developing greater situational awareness, and the standardization of how U.S. combatant commands should address wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report was compiled by the National Defense University with participation from military officials, think tanks and non-governmental organizations, or NGOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings underscore a growing concern of human rights advocates: The U.S. increasingly relies on local partner forces to wage war, and they often do not share the Pentagon\u2019s concern for mitigating civilian deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first recommendation in the report is for the U.S. military to \u201caddress the increased risk of CIVCAS when U.S. forces operate by, with and through partner forces whose interests, priorities and capabilities may not necessarily align with those of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/2018\/10\/26\/defeat-isis-coalition-finds-no-civilian-casualty-reports-credible-in-september\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"156\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4821543.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Not one of the 104 civilian casualty reports in Syria investigated in September was credible, coalition says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Officials with the international coalition to defeat the Islamic State found none of the civilian casualty reports assessed in September to be credible, according to a monthly report released this week.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partner forces have been essential to the success of Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State. But these allies lack the equipment and training necessary to target airstrikes as precisely as American troops and also may not have the same ethical concern to mitigate civilian deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Airwars, a London-based nonprofit that tracks and archives <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/08\/14\/un-report-up-to-30000-islamic-state-members-in-iraq-syria\/\" target=_blank>airstrikes in Iraq, Syria and Libya<\/a>, has previously raised concerns over the actions of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Inherent Resolve officials said there were &#8220;zero unintentional civilian deaths\u201d in the month of September, Chris Woods, who leads Airwars, said he was concerned the Syrian Democratic Forces weren\u2019t willing to admit wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat claim of no civilian harm speaks to systemic flaws in OIR\u2019s casualty monitoring \u2014 and the notorious unwillingness of the coalition\u2019s Syrian ground partners, the SDF, to concede any civilian harm from their own actions,\u201d Woods told Air Force Times in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report recommends steps to better keep partner forces from slipping out of control, such as the investment in tools that would provide better battlefield situational awareness to U.S. ground force commanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. military investigators should also \u201csystematically seek out additional sources of information on potential civilian casualties as part of the self-reporting process,\u201d the report recommends.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2019\/02\/08\/fighting-terrorism-may-rely-on-secret-surrogate-forces-going-forward\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4312668.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Special operations launches \u2018secret surrogate\u2019 missions in new counter-terrorism strategy<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">U.S. counter-terrorism missions will soon place more emphasis on a little known Pentagon program designed to embolden \u201csurrogate forces,\u201d rather than allied units that are dependent on U.S. training, advice, and assistance.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such sources include social media posts, locals who claim to have lost friends and family in airstrikes, and NGOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report notes that humanitarian groups have complained about a decrease in U.S. military transparency when civilian deaths are reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Central Command\u2019s public release of investigation findings offers little detail as to why a CIVCAS allegation is disregarded, other than saying it\u2019s considered \u201cnot credible,&#8221; according to the documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNGOs criticized the aggregation of U.S. and coalition CIVCAS incidents since 2017, as well as the fall 2017 decision to no longer share Operation Freedom\u2019s Sentinel strike data,\u201d the report reads, using the operational name for the U.S. counter-insurgency mission in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3052\" height=\"1720\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-36586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg 3052w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg?resize=768,433 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,577 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,866 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4833765.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1154 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3052px) 100vw, 3052px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A U.S. Army Special Forces Multi-Purpose Canine team provides security for a mortar firing position from an abandoned rooftop in the Middle Euphrates River Valley&#8217;s Deir Ezzor province, Syria, Oct. 11, 2018. Coalition Forces provide indirect fire as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) moves closer to ISIS-held positions in support of Operation Roundup.  The Coalition remains committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew Crane)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report also advised the Joint Staff to consider standardizing the CIVCAS review process across combatant commands. This standardization may include review boards for civilian casualty incidents overseen by the next echelon of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also of note, the report recommended that the Joint Staff develop specific guidance for combatant commands when CIVCAS do occur, for example by offering compensation, explanations, community projects and apologies to those impacted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis should be informed by host nation customs, laws and norms that account for the particularities of each [Area of Operation],\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a public release last month, the U.S.-led coalition to defeat the Islamic State said 1,190 civilians have been unintentionally killed by the coalition\u2019s more than 32,000 air and artillery strikes since August 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, that number is often reported as much higher by NGOs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the discrepancies in reporting, the recent CIVCAS report did not attribute any of the increases in civilian deaths, especially in Iraq and Syria, to its forces\u2019 methods for establishing positive identification of combatants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a widespread priority to minimize CIVCAS across the levels of command and the Positive Identification process has sufficient guidance and structure and therefore does not increase the risk for CIVCAS,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The study calls for greater collaboration between the U.S. military and humanitarian groups, the declassification of investigations when appropriate, the investment in tools to assist ground force commanders in developing greater situational awareness, and the standardization of how U.S. combatant commands should address wrongdoing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":33666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","flashpoints","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"your-military"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","flashpoints","left-column","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"6":{"categories":["your-marine-corps","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","flashpoints","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"},"7":{"categories":["your-navy","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","flashpoints","home","middle-column"],"primary_category":"flashpoints"}}},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3385],"class_list":["post-47104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"URTEWV2GZVHCLP23PWHWHCSKDQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2019\/02\/11\/pentagon-review-calls-for-changes-to-how-us-investigates-reports-civilian-war-casualties\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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