Hegseth’s War Department Slashed Civilian Protection Staff, Brought in AI Assessments

Pete Hegseth's Pentagon has drastically reduced staffing at the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, a key unit tasked with preventing civilian casualties during military operations, while simultaneously introducing artificial intelligence tools to expedite assessments, according to a detailed report obtained by The Intercept. This move comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, with recent strikes targeting civilian infrastructure in the country. The report reveals that the center, once staffed by 40 personnel, has been reduced to just nine by the end of 2025, with some officials confirming that staffing levels have remained unchanged since then. The reduction in personnel has left the Pentagon significantly weakened in its ability to safeguard non-combatants. According to current and former government officials, the drastic cuts have rendered the department incapable of effectively protecting civilians in conflict zones. The remaining staff at the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, which includes both civilians and military personnel, are reportedly unable to investigate major civilian casualty incidents. One such case involves the U.S. strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab, Iran, in February, which resulted in over 150 deaths, predominantly among children. Wes Bryant, who previously led the center’s civilian harm assessments, was among the more than 30 individuals dismissed by the War Department last year. In an interview with The Intercept, Bryant described how the center was maintained merely as a facade to justify compliance with legal standards. “The Hegseth regime held on to a thread of the program mostly in effort to be able to say they are following the law, but the reality is the Center and its efforts have had little to no influence on or oversight or visibility on operations,” he stated. “As long as they sit in the seat, they are continuing to try to put out good work, but the reality is, most of it is being thrown into the wind, and neither institutionalized nor operationalized.” Prior to the staff reductions and sidelining of civilian harm mitigation efforts, the center had successfully trained 212 personnel from various military combatant commands, intelligence agencies, and diplomatic bodies. Established in 2023, the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence was poised to reach full operational capability by the end of 2025. However, this goal was never realized as the center faced continuous staff reductions, ultimately shrinking to just seven civilians and two military personnel. Madison Hunke, a U.S. program manager at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, noted that despite these challenges, the center managed to contribute meaningful expertise to the broader military. “They had minimal time to show value, but they were still able to inject critical CHMR expertise to all corners of the U.S. military, even as their staff dwindled down to a handful of people,” she said. Financial constraints have further exacerbated the situation, with the Department of War reducing its budget for civilian harm mitigation and response efforts in fiscal year 2026. Across the department, including at combatant commands like AFRICOM and CENTCOM, programs and staff have been gradually reorganized, reduced, or eliminated by the end of fiscal year 2025. For instance, the 10-person civilian harm mitigation team at CENTCOM has been reduced to a single individual, according to Admiral Brad Cooper, the command’s chief. Similarly, the U.S. Southern Command struggled to handle the influx of civilian casualty reports following the January attack on Venezuela. When the UK-based watchdog Airwars attempted to submit documentation of civilian casualties to SOUTHCOM, it discovered the command lacked a system for processing such reports. After contacting the Pentagon, Airwars was informed that the issue remained unresolved.