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The importance of protecting civilian life to the greatest extent possible is central to effective
military operations and differentiates the United States from our adversaries. We call on the
administration to immediately end the war in Iran, fully restore Congressionally authorized
programs and staffing to mitigate civilian harm, and provide complete responses to the attached
questions no later than May 4, 2026:

Questions

1. What steps and precautions is DoD taking to prevent, mitigate, and respond to civilian
harm from U.S. and partner actions in the war in Iran?
2. How many personnel are dedicated to preventing and responding to civilian harm within
each of the eleven combatant commands? Please provide a breakdown of CHMR
personnel, including the number of personnel in place as of January 20, 2025, and the
number in place now, at: AFRICOM, CYBERCOM, CENTCOM, EUCOM,
INDOPACOM, NORTHCOM, SOCOM, SOUTHCOM, SPACECOM, and
STRATCOM..
3. Reports indicate that CENTCOM’s civilian harm team was cut from a group of 10 full-
time staff to only one in 2025, but that the team was subsequently restaffed to assist with
the war in Iran.28 How many CHMR staff are currently employed at CENTCOM (please
indicate full-time staff and those with collateral duties, as well as civilian, active duty, or
contractor)?

a. Of these, how many are temporarily employed to assist CENTCOM operations
with the war in Iran?
b. What are the roles and responsibilities of these staff?
c. On what date were additional CHMR specialists brought on to assist with the
CENTCOM mission?
d. To what extent were the number of CHMR specialists within “strike cells” at
CENTCOM reduced prior to the war in Iran?
e. Were CHMR specialists and personnel from the CPCoE involved in planning
prior to the launch of the war in Iran? To what extent are CPCoE staff currently
supporting CENTCOM?
f. What recommendations, if any, were provided to CENTCOM officials by CHMR
specialists?

i. To what extent were these recommendations adopted by CENTCOM over
the course of the campaign in Iran?
4. Multiple senior career military leaders opposed efforts to degrade the CHMR
programming, including through cuts to staff at the CPCoE and U.S. combatant
commands.29

a. Please provide any and all correspondence, memorandum, meeting transcripts,
regarding the decision to slash CHMR programs within DoD.
b. Please provide a copy of the June 2025 memorandum from then CENTCOM
Commanding General Kurilla opposing the cuts to CHMR.
c. How many CHMR personnel were reassigned? Please disaggregate CHMR
personnel reassignment by command and full time employee versus contractor
status.
d. How many former CHMR personnel were terminated? Please disaggregate
CHMR personnel termination by command and full time employee versus
contractor status.
e. How many staff at the CPCoE took voluntary buyouts?

5. What is DoD’s assessment of how civilian harm caused by U.S. forces and its allies and
partners contribute to:

a. Recruitment efforts by non-state armed groups and foreign states?
b. Anti-American sentiment?
c. Risks to U.S. citizens residing in the Middle East and other conflict areas?
d. Intelligence gathering capabilities?

6. By DoD’s estimates, how many civilians have been killed over the course of the war
since February 28, 2026?

a. What share of those civilians killed were from U.S. operations?

7. By DoD’s estimates, how many civilians have been injured over the course of the war
since February 28, 2026?

a. What share of those civilians injured were from US operations?

8. By DoD’s estimates, how many people have been displaced over the course of the war
since February 28, 2026?
9. Have US forces used cluster bombs to disperse mines, including BLU-91 antitank mines
and BLU-92 antipersonnel mines, in the war in Iran?

a. If so, have cluster bombs been equipped with wind-corrected munitions dispenser
tail kits to minimize the potential of hitting civilian infrastructure and targets?
b. What is DoD’s assessment of the civilian harm risk associated with the use of
cluster bombs to distribute BLU-91 and BLU-92 mines?

10. How many civilian harm reports has DoD received since February 28, 2026?

a. How many of these reports have gone through an initial review?
b. How many of these reports have had a civilian harm assessment initiated, and
what is the current status of these assessments?
c. How many AR 15-6 investigations into civilian harm has DoD opened since the
start of the war in Iran?

11. What is the status of the of DoD’s investigation into the airstrike on Minab, Iran?

a. How was this target identified? Was artificial intelligence used at any point in
the target development process to identify, prioritize, or recommend this target?
b. What is the timeframe for a final report?
c. Will the final investigation be shared with Congress and the U.S. public, with only

narrow redactions to protect the privacy of individuals or national security?
12. Has DoD opened an investigation into the February 28, 2026 ballistic missile attack on an
elementary school and sports hall in Lamerd, Iran? 30

a. How was this target identified? Was artificial intelligence used at any point in the
target development process to identify, prioritize, or recommend this target?
b. Were collateral damage estimations conducted prior to this strike? Was civilian
harm foreseen? What steps did DoD take, if any, to minimize civilian harm as a
result of this strike?

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