WASHINGTON ― As he bombs Iran, President Donald Trump is waging his first large-scale conflict since he sharply increased the risk of the U.S. military causing massive civilian casualties and war crimes.
The administration is presenting disdain for standards in warfare as a feature, not a bug. The U.S. is acting with “no stupid rules of engagement,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, casting that approach as superior to “politically correct wars.” But Hegseth’s rhetoric and policy choices by the administration before the war could have dire consequences ― hurting innocent people, American forces themselves and the success of Trump’s mission.
Since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the number of personnel tasked with minimizing harm to civilians across the Defense Department has sharply decreased, two sources familiar with discussions in the U.S. military about civilian harm told HuffPost. They spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal dynamics.
One said the staff in such positions has dropped from 165 to a handful. The Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, a Pentagon office that provides advice on limiting casualties in combat and investigates the toll of military operations, has had its staff reduced from between 30 and 40 staffers at the beginning of the administration to only seven today, according to the other source. (The Army attempted to shutter the office altogether, but its existence was mandated by Congress.)
