A Marine patrols during a training event in this undated photo. The Pentagon’s move to scale back a program aimed at reducing civilian harm is increasing risks to military missions and may violate federal law, according to a recent Defense Department inspector general report. (Devan Gowans/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Pentagon may be violating federal law with its moves to curb a congressionally mandated program to combat civilian harm, according to a new watchdog agency report.
The Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General found that DOD officials have effectively been shutting down parts of the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan. Established in 2022, the plan evaluates how the U.S. military can better prevent and respond to civilian casualties.
The inspector general found that until last year, the Pentagon had made progress implementing the plan, for example by creating a steering committee and establishing the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence.
The shift began after February 2025, when the acting under secretary of defense for policy and the secretary of the Army proposed major changes to the program’s implementation, the report said.
Although Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not announce a decision on those proposals, the Pentagon has since ended funding for the program’s data management platforms, stopped holding steering committee meetings and lost or reassigned many of its personnel, including those at the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, according to the report.
“As a result, the [department] may not comply with its civilian casualties and harm policy ... a policy required by Federal law,” the inspector general wrote.
A spokesperson for the Pentagon said the department has received the report and is currently reviewing the program to ensure alignment with evolving needs and resource availability.
“Although final decisions regarding the [Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response] enterprise are pending, the Department remains committed to minimizing civilian harm caused by military operations and to meeting all relevant statutory requirements,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
The report, published last week, comes as U.S. defense officials face scrutiny over civilian casualties in the war with Iran. That includes the late February bombing of an Iranian school that killed 175 people, according to Iranian officials. U.S. officials have said the Minab school, located in southern Iran, may have been hit by a U.S. bomb.
Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said the full investigation into the attack on the Minab school will be finished soon, though he did not give an exact timeline.
“It is coming to the end and I think transparency is important,” said Cooper, who also committed to publishing an unclassified version of the report when it’s available.
Multiple news outlets have documented DOD’s cuts to the civilian harm reduction mission. ProPublica, citing former personnel, reported in March that around 90% of the staff was gone, with no more than a single adviser at most commands.
Speaking to lawmakers on Thursday, Cooper said nine of the 10 people devoted to civilian harm reduction in CENTCOM had been assigned to new positions in the past year.
According to the report, the Pentagon did not fully implement any of the objectives from the plan last year, citing hiring delays, missed deadlines and inadequate guidance from the steering committee.
Defense Department officials disputed portions of the assessment. In comments included in the report, they argued that some military components continued meeting statutory requirements and said commands had documented progress implementing the initiative.
Human rights organization Amnesty International said the Pentagon’s efforts to shrink the civilian harm mitigation efforts have already had “horrific consequences.”
“Now that the Defense Department’s own inspectors general have confirmed that the Pentagon is ignoring laws passed by Congress, legislators must exercise their oversight powers before the U.S. unlawfully kills or harms more civilians,” Amnesty International’s Amanda Klasing said in a statement.
