Today, the Department of Defense released the DOD Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response, which establishes the Department’s enduring policies, responsibilities, and procedures for mitigating and responding to civilian harm.
In a Jan. 2022 memorandum, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III directed the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) to outline steps the Department will take and the resources required to implement appropriate recommendations from recently completed studies of civilian harm, and to complete and present to him for signature a DOD Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response. On August 25, 2022, the Department of Defense released the CHMR-AP, which laid out a comprehensive approach, reinforcing that the Department of Defense’s efforts to protect civilians are the responsibility of all leaders throughout the Department.
This DOD Instruction is a milestone in the implementation of the CHMR-AP. The issuance of this policy continues the process of improving the Department’s approach to mitigating and responding to civilian harm, including by formalizing DOD policies, responsibilities, and procedures related to CHMR and by creating a reinforcing framework of processes and institutions which will improve strategic outcomes and optimize military operations.
The DOD Instruction further ensures operational commanders are supported with institutional resources, tools, and capabilities to effectively implement law of war protections of civilians, and to enable further steps to protect civilians and to respond appropriately when civilian harm occurs.
In addition to the issuance of the DOD Instruction, the Department has created the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response website in accordance with the CHMR-AP, which will serve as a repository for DOD policies, reports and other information related to civilian harm mitigation. The website also provides a link to the previously published webpage with guidance for reporting civilian casualties.
The DOD Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response can be found here.
The link to the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response website can be found here.