Latest in collateral damage
Are we about to see a significant shift in U.S. government policy relating to the use of targeted lethal force for counterterrorism purposes?
Maybe, according to an important article by Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt in the New York Times. Here’s what you need to know:
In a scathing New York Times op-ed today, Micah Zenko lays into the Trump administration both for maintaining the “counterproductive” and “immoral” counterterrorism policies of its predecessors (particularly those involving the use of military force), and for making the situation worse for noncombatants.
It is hardly uncommon for the United States to use force against AQAP targets in Yemen. Since 2012, we’ve averaged more than two dozen operations every year (see, e.g., here and here). By and large, these operations don’t generate headlines (the airstrike that killed U.S.
In the world of kinetic military operations, collateral damage is typically straightforward to assess because of well-established definitions, well-understood weapon characteristics, and reasonably well-defined legal and policy frameworks. In traditional warfare, collateral damage occurs when a hostile action causes unintended physical damage to civilian persons or objects.