National Security Memorandum 20 and the Challenge of Operational End-Use Monitoring

National Security Memorandum 20 and the Challenge of Operational End-Use Monitoring

National Security Memorandum 20 and the Challenge of Operational End-Use Monitoring Today, May 8, was the deadline for the Departments of Defense (DoD) and State to answer tough questions about how U.S. supplied weapons are being used in today’s conflicts, including...
The Department of Defense’s In Extremis Legal Challenges During Modern Warfare

The Department of Defense’s In Extremis Legal Challenges During Modern Warfare

The Department of Defense’s In Extremis Legal Challenges During Modern Warfare A Department of Defense (DoD) lawyer has for a client an organization with a remarkable number of dilemmas, all of which must be resolved (or at least addressed) lawfully, consistent with...
Year Ahead – The U.S. DoD Replicator Initiative and the Acquisition Process for Autonomous Weapons

Year Ahead – The U.S. DoD Replicator Initiative and the Acquisition Process for Autonomous Weapons

Year Ahead – The U.S. DoD Replicator Initiative and the Acquisition Process for Autonomous Weapons On August 28, 2023, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks unveiled the Replicator Initiative (Replicator), which is “aimed at directly countering the People’s...
The U.S. DoD’s New Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Policy and “Harm Resulting From” Military Operations

The U.S. DoD’s New Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Policy and “Harm Resulting From” Military Operations

The U.S. DoD’s New Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Policy and “Harm Resulting From” Military Operations In a much-celebrated move in late December 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) made good on its promise to publish an enterprise-wide policy on...
The New U.S. Department of Defense Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response

The New U.S. Department of Defense Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response

The New U.S. Department of Defense Instruction on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response On August 25, 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III approved and released the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP)—an action plan that creates new...