STATEMENT: KHANNA, MURPHY, WARREN ON THE PENTAGON'S DIRECTIVE TO PREVENT CIVILIAN HARM

Statement

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), along with U.S Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III's directive to the United States military to strengthen its efforts to prevent civilian deaths:

"We're glad the Biden administration recognizes that change is desperately needed in the way the U.S. military approaches the use of force when there is risk of harm to civilians. Civilian casualties as a result of U.S. combat operations are both a moral stain and a national security liability, and more must be done to prevent them. In order for the reform process Secretary Austin laid out to be effective, the administration must prioritize protection of civilians and adherence to domestic and international law, all while relying on non-lethal tools to address conflict and fragility, and only using force as a last resort. We look forward to continue working with the administration as they revise U.S. counterterrorism policy," said Murphy, Warren, and Khanna.

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