Trump facing imminent deadline on lethal force policy

Some reported changes to existing policy:

• Allow lethal targeting of individuals outside of armed conflict zones who do not pose an imminent threat, in violation of international law
• Relax the “near certainty” standard that the target is present at the time of the strike, increasing risk to civilians
• Give the CIA and U.S. military authority to carry out drone strikes without prior approval from the White House

Transparency around the use of lethal force is essential to assessing the lawfulness of military operations and providing redress for victims. This information is especially critical in light of the dramatic increase in strikes in Yemen and Somalia in 2017 and the resulting civilian casualties.

What’s next: If Trump lets the deadline pass or provides only a classified response, it will fall to Congressional leaders to hold the administration accountable to the American people. They could call for the release of a declassified statement of the policy or pass legislation requiring the administration to reveal its reasoning and authority for targeting and killing. As Congress seeks to reassert its warmaking authority, this important policy deadline is a good place to start.

Daphne Eviatar is director of the Security with Human Rights program at Amnesty International USA.