A Penn Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law briefing paper underscores alignment between the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan and bipartisan goals of enhancing precision lethality in U.S. military operations

The Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) at the University of Pennsylvania today published a briefing paper outlining the strategic benefits of the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) and its associated center for excellence (CP CoE). Continuing efforts by the Department of Defense (DoD) to study civilian harm in armed conflict will help advance bipartisan goals to improve the effective lethality of U.S. targeting operations.

“The focus on civilian harm mitigation, which was initially set in motion by the first Trump administration, provides several important benefits that are very much in line with the thinking of the current administration,” said lead author Claire Finkelstein, Penn Law professor and Faculty Director of CERL. “Continuing to study harm minimization methods by learning from current conflicts and projecting such methods into future warfare, particularly warfare driven by advanced technologies, will be a critical task for the U.S. military.”

The Trump administration has indicated that both the CHMR-AP and the CP CoE are on the chopping block in accordance with Department of Government Efficiency guidance to reduce “nonlethal” Pentagon programs by 8 percent.

The paper’s authors, Professor Finkelstein and Orde Kittrie, law professor at Arizona State University and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), argue the CHMR-AP and the CP CoE are critical for refining U.S. targeting operations to ensure their precision and effectiveness. The CHMR-AP will also help the United States make progress on understanding key challenges on the battlefield, such as those relating to the use of human shields and developing advanced technologies with broad-ranging applications.

“The focus on civilian harm mitigation is critical for the mission effectiveness and precision lethality of U.S. forces,” the authors write. “A retooled [civilian harm mitigation and response] program could help the United States further hone its warfighting skills, enhance precision lethality, learn from the experience of our allies such as Israel who have been grappling with the problem of minimizing civilian casualties when fighting an enemy that uses civilians as human shields, and develop new technologies that will both assist with mitigating civilian harm in war and enhance lethality in both counter-terrorism operations and ultimately in large-scale combat operations.”

Read the briefing paper, which covers:

• The history and evolution of the CHMR-AP.
• How the CHMR-AP can aid combatant commanders and civilian strategists as they confront current and future challenges in warfare, particularly those relating to the use of human shields and disinformation.
• The role of AI and other advanced technologies in minimizing civilian losses in war.
• A proposed refocusing of the CHMR-AP and the CP CoE.

Other Related Content by CERL Affiliates

Claire Finkelstein, “The Pentagon is About to Make a Big Mistake on Civilian Harm Mitigation,” War on The Rocks, Mar. 5, 2025

Joshua Greenberg, “Minimizing Civilian Harm in Armed Conflicts: High-Level Roundtable Discussion Report on the Civilian Harm Mitigation Response and Action Plan (CHMR-AP),” Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, Mar. 14, 2025

General (ret.) Joseph L. Votel interviewed on “Pentagon closing offices focused on reducing civilian casualties,” NPR, Mar. 11, 2025