The Trump administration is moving to close the Pentagon's Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, signaling a potential shift in how the US approaches civilian safety during military operations, The Washington Post reports.

Established in 2023 in response to high civilian death tolls, particularly during the "fight" against ISIS, the office was tasked with reducing harm to noncombatants. Reforms initiated by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. led to its creation, and under President Biden, its efforts expanded to include embedding civilian protection specialists in operations centers, improving training programs, and refining data collection on civilian casualties.

According to WashPo, the center, staffed by 30 experts with a $7 million annual budget, "plays a role in advising battlefield commanders on minimizing civilian harm." Despite its importance, the Army is drafting a proposal to defund and potentially dissolve the office, with a decision deadline of February 21. While closing the office, which was mandated by law, would require congressional approval, military leaders could effectively sideline it by reallocating funding or personnel.

Casualty Debate

This potential closure coincides with significant ongoing debates about civilian casualties caused by US military operations. According to a study by Brown University's Costs of War project, post-9/11 US-led wars in the Middle East and North Africa have directly and indirectly caused at least 4.5 million deaths, with nearly 1 million direct deaths from wars on Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia.

Indirect deaths—estimated at 3.6–3.7 million—result from factors like economic collapse, destroyed healthcare infrastructure, malnutrition, and disease. Women and children disproportionately suffer these long-term impacts, the study highlights, with many deaths preventable if not for the wars' destructive ripple effects.

Read more: US post 9/11 wars caused 4.5 million deaths: Study

According to WashPo, Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary, has been a vocal critic of what he describes as overly restrictive rules of engagement. Advocating for fewer legal constraints on US troops, he has supported leniency for soldiers accused of war crimes and backed Trump's first-term pardons for such cases.

Hegseth has also argued for a more "lethal" military strategy, stating that service members "fight lawyers as much as we fight bad guys."

Critics of the administration's move to dismantle the office warn of its broader implications. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), an Army veteran, called the office's mission "both a moral and national security imperative."

"Protecting civilians in conflict not only upholds our values but enhances our strategic objectives," Crow added. The Pentagon office had been well-received by military commands and senior leadership, and its closure would be seen as a regression in efforts to mitigate harm in combat zones, he said.

Costs of War project

The Costs of War project exmines the devastating human toll of US military operations, particularly in areas already suffering from poverty and instability. Researchers noted that indirect deaths are difficult to track but are no less significant, as they stem from the long-term destruction of economies, environments, and essential infrastructure.

The study concluded that reparations are "imperative" for alleviating the ongoing suffering caused by these wars. Stephanie Savell, co-director of the Costs of War project, emphasized that these wars' human costs, especially the indirect ones, remain largely unacknowledged in US discourse.