Civil Society Guidance for the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMRAP)

On January 27, 2022, following concerning media reports and civil society demands for an urgent overhaul of U.S. civilian harm policies, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin mandated the creation of a Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMRAP). He directed the CHMRAP entail the establishment of a Center of Excellence on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response; the development of standardized processes for collecting and learning from civilian harm-related data; improvements in how the Department of Defense (DoD) responds to civilian harm, including through condolence payments and public acknowledgment; and the incorporation of guidance for mitigating and addressing civilian harm in future doctrine and operational plans.

The paper below sets out priorities and expectations from civil society organizations, including PAX, for the CHMRAP. Over the years, many of our organizations have worked to engage the DoD to improve its policies for
preventing civilian harm and investigating, acknowledging, and providing amends for harm when it occurs.