Pentagon quietly shut legally required program to prevent civilian deaths by military, watchdog finds

Key Points:

• The Pentagon has effectively dismantled its civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) program, which it is legally required to maintain, resulting in a lack of personnel, tools, and infrastructure to comply with federal statutes on civilian casualty prevention.
• The CHMR program, established in January 2022 under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, has seen funding cuts, halted meetings, and personnel losses, particularly under Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, whose tenure has deprioritized limiting civilian casualties.
• The inspector general's report highlights that since February 2025, key officials proposed cutting or eliminating the program, with the military acting on these proposals before official approval, coinciding with deadly US strikes in Iran causing significant civilian deaths.
• Despite Pentagon claims of ongoing compliance and operation of the program, internal assessments reveal severe degradation, with the CHMR steering committee ceasing meetings and many commands divesting CHMR responsibilities.
• The inspector general has set a June 12 deadline for the Pentagon to submit a plan to address these issues, amid growing concerns from civilian protection advocates about the increased civilian harm in recent US military operations, especially in Iran.