Washington, D.C.
August 25, 2022 – CIVIC welcomes the release of the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), an ambitious plan to overhaul how the United States prevents and responds to civilian harm.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.
Austin III mandated the CHMR-AP in a January 2022 memo, following civil society calls for urgent reforms after over 20 years of repeated civilian harm without meaningful accountability, learning, or policy change.
Among other things, the CHMR-AP directs the Defense Department to incorporate civilian harm guidance into strategy, doctrine, plans, and training; address the risk of misidentification and cognitive bias in targeting; improve and standardize investigations of civilian harm; establish a comprehensive framework for responding to civilian harm with dignity and respect; address civilian harm risks in partnered operations and security cooperation; and create dedicated positions for civilian harm mitigation and response across the Department.
In reaction to the release of the CHMR-AP today, Annie Shiel, CIVIC’s Senior Advisor for the United States, commented: Read CIVIC and civil society partners’ past guidance for the CHMR-AP here. For more information and media inquiries, please contact: Annie Shiel, Senior Adviser, US Policy and Advocacy, [email protected]
