civilian harm in US combat operations.
Mr Austin, a former four-star army general with combat experience, pledged in November to overhaul military procedures and hold top officers responsible for carrying out changes. In his memo, he ordered a standardised reporting process on civilian harm, the creation of a military"centre of excellence" and the completion of a comprehensive new policy on the issue that has been in the works for nearly two years.
Against that backdrop, it remains unclear whether Mr Austin's effort will transform the military's ability to monitor and restrain itself, in part because the Pentagon has already said it tries to avoid and mitigate civilian harm. To that end, Austin's memo directs Pentagon officials to take immediate action on some matters, including the establishment of a standardised system for reports of civilian harm and the creation of the Pentagon centre that would focus on how to prevent, mitigate and respond to civilian harm.
"It will adopt a comprehensive approach, reinforcing that DOD's efforts to protect civilians are the responsibility of all leaders throughout the department, always, and not only that of our commanders and personnel in the field," Mr Austin said. A Times investigation based on the military's confidential assessments of more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties and ground reporting at the sites of more than 100 civilian casualty sites showed that the air campaign against ISIS was marked by flawed intelligence, confirmation bias and scant accountability.
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