Kaine Urges DOD to Protect Civilians During Military Operations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined 13 of his colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging him to preserve the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence at the Department of Defense (DOD) to minimize civilian deaths during combat.
According to a Washington Post report, the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence was instructed by Pentagon leadership to halt all civilian harm mitigation work, including winding down the center and firing or reassigning nearly 170 personnel who advise military leaders on limiting noncombatant casualties.
“Minimizing civilian casualties in warfare is a moral duty and a strategic imperative,” wrote the senators. “We remind you that the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence (“the Center”) was established by Congress… and the law requires you to operate it.”
“Nevertheless, public reporting indicates that the Trump Administration is preparing to ‘abolish’ the Center,” they continued. “Regardless of your personal views regarding the importance of reducing civilian casualties, neither you nor the President have such authority.”
“The credibility of U.S. foreign policy flows not just from our raw military power but also from our reputation as a nation that values innocent life and protects noncombatants,” they wrote. “When American forces deploy, the world should understand that they are not just the most lethal and capable force in human history, but also that their operations are conducted consistent with the highest moral and humanitarian standards.”
In addition to Kaine, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).
The full letter can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary Hegseth,
We write to urge that you cease any effort to close the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence at the Department of Defense. Minimizing civilian casualties in warfare is a moral duty and a strategic imperative.
We remind you that the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence (“the Center”) was established by Congress, fully funded by Congress in each of the last two fiscal years, and the law requires you to operate it. Congress established the Center, with overwhelming bipartisan support, in 2022. Its purpose, per 10 U.S. Code § 184, is to “institutionalize and advance knowledge, practices, and tools for preventing, mitigating, and responding to civilian harm” that result “from military operations involving the United States Armed Forces.” It was established in response to an inquiry led by previous Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis into civilian casualties that resulted from U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.
Nevertheless, public reporting indicates that the Trump Administration is preparing to “abolish” the Center. Regardless of your personal views regarding the importance of reducing civilian casualties, neither you nor the President have such authority.
Reducing civilian casualties in warfare is an obvious moral imperative necessary for its own sake. But it is also a strategic imperative. The credibility of U.S. foreign policy flows not just from our raw military power but also from our reputation as a nation that values innocent life and protects noncombatants. When American forces deploy, the world should understand that they are not just the most lethal and capable force in human history, but also that their operations are conducted consistent with the highest moral and humanitarian standards. Furthermore, U.S. forces’ freedom of maneuver and the sustainability of deployments in complex environments often depends upon the trust and good faith of the local civilian population.
We urge you to support the work of the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, and not to undo years of work by your predecessors to ensure the United States military remains the most capable, responsible, and respected in the world.
Sincerely,
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