Internal Pentagon Report Reveals Hegseth Is Willfully Putting Civilians in Danger

Key Points:

• The Pentagon’s inspector general released a critical report revealing severe cuts under War Secretary Pete Hegseth to civilian harm mitigation and response efforts, leaving the U.S. unable to adequately protect civilians in conflict zones or comply with federal law.
• The report highlights the failure to implement the 2022 Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), with all 11 objectives and 133 actions incomplete by the end of 2025, and notes the defunding and downsizing of the Center of Excellence responsible for civilian protection.
• Former Pentagon officials and whistleblowers describe the report as a “whitewash,” emphasizing that the CHMR enterprise has been effectively dismantled, with significant personnel cuts, loss of funding, and elimination of key tools like the civilian harm data management platform.
• Despite mounting civilian casualties—over 2,000 reported during Trump’s second term across multiple theaters including Yemen and Iran—top U.S. military commanders have dismissed or failed to corroborate reports of civilian harm, citing lack of mechanisms and data.
• War Secretary Hegseth has pursued efforts that undermine transparency, accountability, and adherence to the laws of war, while congressional concerns about civilian harm and war crimes have been largely dismissed amid ongoing U.S. military operations and threats against Iran.