Key Takeaways for Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response from the Russia-Ukraine War Ukraine's fight against Russia offers an important entry point to the discussion of applying CHMR practices to large-scale combat operations.

How can we scale Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) for future large scale combat operations (LSCO)? Important new report from @paxforpeace.bsky.social

Soldier Who Called Out Torture in Iraq Is Laid to Rest at Arlington (Published 2023) Ian Fishback, who left the Army with the rank of major, was a dissident-in-uniform who died at the age of 42 after entering a dizzying mental health spiral.

Remembering Captain Ian Fishback on his birthday. A constant reminder how America is failing its veterans mental health needs.

I used to have this job. It’s the most challenging and rewarding position you will ever have. The work will at times destroy you. It will lift you up. You will give voice to the voiceless, speak truth to power, cradle innocents, stare down despots, and change the world. Do it.

Damn I thought those were SM-2 hitting drones…

Year Ahead – Land Operations - Lieber Institute West Point There are worrying trends in contemporary land warfare that demand international community’s attention in 2025.

“The strength of IHL lies in its clarity and predictability, but its application falters when exceptions overshadow rules”
lieber.westpoint.edu/year-ahead-l...

It’s Thursday night so I’m hanging with @criticalrole.bsky.social

DOD Releases the Annual Report on Civilian Casualties in Connection With U.S. Military Ope The Defense Department released the Annual Report on Civilian Casualties in Connection with United States Military Operations in 2023.

The report on civilian casualties caused by US Forces in 2023 has been released and notes the use of external data sources, including from NGOs, in improving our understanding of civilian harm and is an important example of transparency and accountability.

Messier was #11

Schadenfreude is soup for the soul

I was on the United Nations Syria Commission where I investigated war crimes by all parties to the conflict. The records of Assad and Putin’s crimes will soon be revealed as internal documents come to light. I pray they both pay but for now I raise my glass.

Today Cadillac announced they were joining the F1 grid and returning to Grand Prix. My grandfather Albino Garlasco was a champion racer for Cadillac from 1919-1924 where he won oval and street races setting several speed records. In one photo you see my grandparents both in their Cadillac uniforms.

Someone is super needy tonight

Fun times with my favorite person 🫶

Briefing on civilian protection insights from the war in #Ukraine conducted by PAX and Center for Civilians in conflict during Day 2 of the #CHMR collaboration workshop to over 150 DoD civilian protection specialists.

My take on the first bit of transparency from the Israeli Air Force. It’s welcome - and we need more of this - but it’s hard to see how the conduct of the air campaign in Gaza is lawful.

My initial reaction to the new DoD policy aimed at protecting civilians in US military operations. TLDR: it’s damn good. A few quibbles. Would love to see it adopted by more countries.

US to push Israel to define war milestones - ABC listen US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has touched down in Tel Aviv, as Washington pushes Israel on civilian casualties in Gaza. It comes after Joe Biden warned last week that Israel was losing internatio...

Many thanks to ABC Australia for having me on to discuss the issue of civilian harm in Gaza, International Humanitarian Law, and weapons.

Unguided ‘dumb bombs’ used in almost half of Israeli strikes on Gaza The revelation, disclosed in a U.S. intelligence assessment, emerged as American officials press Israel for a more targeted approach to its military campaign.

We are justifiably concerned about the use of unguided weapons in Gaza as Castner and I note concerns with missing targets and hitting civilians, but 30K bombs with wide area effects are killing civilians regardless of accuracy. Our comments in the WaPo👇

Exclusive: Nearly half of the Israeli munitions dropped on Gaza are imprecise ‘dumb bombs,’ US... Nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel has used in Gaza in its war with Hamas since October 7 have been unguided, otherwise known as “dumb bombs,” according to a new US intellig...

This news completely undercuts Israel’s claims of trying to minimize civilian harm. I’m quoted here on nearly HALF of all bombs dropped on Gaza being unguided 👇

My latest on attacks on hospitals: www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Gaza Civilians, Under Israeli Barrage, Are Being Killed at Historic Pace Even a conservative assessment of the reported Gaza casualty figures shows that the rate of death during Israel’s assault has few precedents in this century, experts say.

A look at civilian casualties in Gaza with comments from me 👇

As Gaza death toll soars, secrecy shrouds Israel’s targeting process Experts say Israel’s rules of engagement in Gaza, which are classified, appear to include a higher threshold for civilian casualties than in past wars.

I’m quoted here about the IDF’s challenges of shifting from deliberate to dynamic targeting.

An important article from Dr. Larry Lewis on how the IDF can integrate CHMR into operations in Gaza to protect civilians. As they once told him, “they may have “blind spots” that limit their ability to mitigate civilian harm in practice.”

A barrage and a midair explosion: What visual evidence shows about the Gaza hospital blast Videos analyzed by The Washington Post reveal that rockets were launched from Gaza in the direction of al-Ahli Hospital 44 seconds before an explosion there.

The most comprehensive look at the incident. With quotes from yours truly…

@npr.org gave me the last word on this piece on the Gaza hospital - www.npr.org/2023/10/23/1...

CNN Investigates: Forensic analysis of images and videos suggests rocket caused Gaza hospital blast,... In the days since a blast ripped through the packed Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, killing hundreds of Palestinians, dueling claims between Palestinian militants and the Israeli government over culpab...

“When I investigate a site of a potential war crime the first thing I do is locate and identify parts of the weapon. The weapon tells you who did it and how. I’ve never seen such a lack of physical evidence for a weapon at a site. Ever.”

Explosive weapons in populated areas: Technical considerations Too often, explosive weapons that have wide-area effects are used in populated areas, with devastating effects on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Explosive weapons use the detonation of a

How do bombs work? How big is a JDAM crater? How many fragments does 155mm artillery create? Learn all about weapons from this report I coauthored with ARES for the ICRC 👇