US Military Unit Struggles to Report Civilian Casualties from Venezuela Attack
The US Southern Command, which carried out the January 3 attack on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is unable to cope with the volume of civilian casualty reports stemming from the mission. Instead, the Pentagon itself is accepting reports directly.
This comes as a result of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's efforts to gut programs aimed at reducing civilian casualties and mitigate harm in military operations. The command has been left with only one contractor who tracks and mitigates civilian harm, after personnel were reduced from four staff members to zero.
The Pentagon is now relying on the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established by Hegseth, to handle reports of civilian casualties. However, experts say that even a small number of incidents is too much for the command to handle, highlighting the need for more resources and expertise.
Airwars, a UK-based watchdog group, has been attempting to submit documentation of civilian casualties to SOUTHCOM, but was initially met with resistance. The group had to reach out to the Pentagon itself in order to get their reports accepted.
"We will be submitting cases directly to the Center of Excellence after we publish them," said Emily Tripp, executive director of Airwars. "Until SOUTHCOM establishes its own mechanism — as CENTCOM and AFRICOM have — we will not be able to fulfill our role as a watchdog group."
The US military has faced criticism for its handling of civilian casualties in recent operations, including the attack on Venezuela. Experts say that the lack of transparency and accountability is a major concern.
"Without adequate dedicated staff, it's unclear how SOUTHCOM is addressing these concerning reports," said Annie Shiel, US advocacy director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict. "How will they respond to confirmed civilian casualties? How will they prevent similar harm from occurring in the future, and what experts are they consulting to do that?"
The US Southern Command, which carried out the January 3 attack on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, is unable to cope with the volume of civilian casualty reports stemming from the mission. Instead, the Pentagon itself is accepting reports directly.
This comes as a result of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's efforts to gut programs aimed at reducing civilian casualties and mitigate harm in military operations. The command has been left with only one contractor who tracks and mitigates civilian harm, after personnel were reduced from four staff members to zero.
The Pentagon is now relying on the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established by Hegseth, to handle reports of civilian casualties. However, experts say that even a small number of incidents is too much for the command to handle, highlighting the need for more resources and expertise.
Airwars, a UK-based watchdog group, has been attempting to submit documentation of civilian casualties to SOUTHCOM, but was initially met with resistance. The group had to reach out to the Pentagon itself in order to get their reports accepted.
"We will be submitting cases directly to the Center of Excellence after we publish them," said Emily Tripp, executive director of Airwars. "Until SOUTHCOM establishes its own mechanism — as CENTCOM and AFRICOM have — we will not be able to fulfill our role as a watchdog group."
The US military has faced criticism for its handling of civilian casualties in recent operations, including the attack on Venezuela. Experts say that the lack of transparency and accountability is a major concern.
"Without adequate dedicated staff, it's unclear how SOUTHCOM is addressing these concerning reports," said Annie Shiel, US advocacy director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict. "How will they respond to confirmed civilian casualties? How will they prevent similar harm from occurring in the future, and what experts are they consulting to do that?"
this is soooo crazy! I mean, think about it - the US military can't even handle reporting on their own attacks, especially when it comes to civilian casualties. It's like they're trying to sweep stuff under the rug? 
And now they're relying on some new "Center of Excellence" thingy... like that's gonna make a difference? 
I'm all for transparency and accountability, but this just seems like a massive fail to me. What's next, gonna let the military do whatever they want and hope nobody notices? 
. and now they're relying on some new center of excellence thingy 
this is so worrying 
i mean can't you just imagine if it was your family member or friend who got caught in a military operation with no one to help them 
and now the US military is struggling to report civilian casualties from venezuela attack? 
from our governments especially when it comes to protecting human lives 
Anyway, it's all because of some dude named Pete Hegseth who tried to cut programs that are supposed to prevent harm in military ops. Like, what were they thinking?! 
"When you try to cut corners, you end up blowing it" 
"One contractor? You can't handle the truth!" 
We need more resources and expertise for these programs, stat! 
