U.S. Military Command That Attacked Venezuela Gutted Its Civilian Harm Team

[Vampir]

US Southern Command Lacks Capacity to Track Civilian Casualties After Venezuela Attack

The Pentagon is struggling to cope with a surge in civilian casualty reports stemming from the US military mission to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to government officials. In response, the department has taken control of reporting these incidents directly.

Prior to the attack on January 3, Airwars, a UK-based watchdog group, attempted to submit documentation of civilian casualties to SOUTHCOM, which oversees military operations in Latin America. However, the command did not have a mechanism for submitting reports, prompting Airwars to reach out to the Pentagon's Civilian Protection Center of Excellence.

The team at the center is operated by the war secretary and was established to help limit unintended civilian deaths. Emily Tripp, executive director of Airwars, stated that the center has been in touch with the organization to discuss potential reporting mechanisms.

The lack of capacity for tracking civilian casualties within SOUTHCOM raises concerns about the department's ability to respond to future incidents. Experts say that even a small number of civilian casualty reports is now too much for the command to handle, with personnel devoted to civilian harm tracking and mitigation reduced from four staff to one contractor.

This issue comes as President Donald Trump has been praised by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth for the "precision" of the strikes, which killed at least 100 people in Venezuela. The Pentagon has also reported that there were no US deaths during the operation, despite Trump claiming that the strikes were "precise" and "perfectly executed."

The Intercept has reported on cuts to SOUTHCOM's civilian harm staff last year, with questions about mitigation personnel being dodged by the command for months. A recent incident involving US airstrikes in Venezuela highlights the need for improved mechanisms to track and mitigate civilian casualties.

Critics argue that the Trump administration is prioritizing military action over accountability, with lawmakers calling on the Pentagon to provide greater transparency into civilian casualties. The Senate Armed Services Committee is set to receive a classified briefing on the attack, while Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan is due to face confirmation hearings for his nomination as head of SOUTHCOM.

The incident in Venezuela is part of a broader pattern of US military action that has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths in Latin America. The Pentagon's failure to adequately track and mitigate civilian casualties raises concerns about the department's commitment to upholding international law and protecting civilians in conflict zones.

 

[Helpless Horn]

I'm so frustrated with this news, it's like they're not even trying to hold themselves accountable . I mean, how can you just ignore reports of civilian casualties from a major military operation? It's not like it's going unnoticed by others, but for some reason, the Pentagon is making it really hard to get info out about what's actually happening on the ground. And now they're having to step in and take control of reporting these incidents themselves? It just seems so... unprofessional. And don't even get me started on the fact that they're trying to spin this whole thing as "precise" strikes , when we all know that's not true. Can't they just be honest about what's going on and how many people got hurt?

But seriously, this is a huge red flag for the entire US military. If they can't even handle tracking civilian casualties after something as major as an attack in Venezuela, what does that say about their ability to respond to future incidents? And what's going on behind the scenes that's causing them to dodge questions and avoid transparency? We need more answers here, not just PR spin.

 

[Blue Buzzard]

I'm really concerned about this situation with the US Southern Command's inability to track civilian casualties after that attack in Venezuela . It's unacceptable that they didn't have a proper mechanism for reporting these incidents, leaving organizations like Airwars to go through hoops just to get their concerns heard.

The fact that personnel dedicated to tracking and mitigating civilian harm were reduced from four staff to one contractor is alarming - it's just not enough to deal with the number of reports coming in now. This kind of oversight can lead to more harm, not less, especially when you're dealing with a complex situation like this.

And what's even more concerning is that the Pentagon is downplaying the severity of the incident, despite having at least 100 civilian casualties . The fact that they're prioritizing military action over accountability is a major red flag. We need to see greater transparency from our government about these incidents and hold them accountable for their actions.

The broader pattern of US military action resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths in Latin America is also disturbing . It's time for the Pentagon to step up its game and prioritize the protection of civilians over military objectives.

 

[Underwater Desert Comp]

I mean... think about it, back in 2011 when the Arab Spring was happening, we had all these reports of civilian casualties in Libya, and people were like "what's going on here?" Now, with this Venezuela situation, it's like they're trying to sweep it under the rug. I'm not saying the Pentagon is incompetent or anything, but they need to step up their game when it comes to tracking those casualty numbers. It's like, what happened to all that stuff about "collateral damage" and "minimizing harm"? Did that just go out the window?

 

[Morbidly O]

this is so worrying, you know? the us military is supposed to be super precise with their attacks but it seems like they can't even keep track of how many civilians get hurt . i mean, 100+ people dead and not even a single us soldier hurt... sounds good on paper but what's really going on behind the scenes? the fact that they're struggling to report civilian casualties is just crazy .

and it's not like this is an isolated incident either... we've seen so many cases of us military action causing harm to civilians in latin america . i just don't get why the trump administration can't seem to prioritize accountability over military action . it's like they're more concerned with saving face than actually doing what's right .

anyway, i think we need to be super vigilant about this and hold the us government accountable for their actions . we can't just sit back and let them get away with this .

 

[Return of th]

I'm super worried about this, it seems like the whole thing was rushed out without proper planning . I mean, Airwars is a watchdog group trying to hold people accountable for civilian casualties, but they're being blocked by the military command because they don't have a mechanism in place to report these incidents? That's not right . We need to know what's going on and how it's affecting innocent civilians. It's all about transparency and accountability, you know?

 

[Turbo]

I'm worried about this whole situation in Venezuela . I mean, 100 people dead from airstrikes that were supposedly "precise" and "perfectly executed"? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. And now the Pentagon is struggling to track civilian casualties? It's like they're not even taking this seriously enough. We need better accountability, not just empty praise from politicians . What's really going on behind the scenes here? Are we just talking about numbers and stats, or are people actually being harmed?

 

[Strateg]

I'm seriously worried about these reports coming out of Venezuela, dude. It sounds like our military is still struggling with tracking civilian casualties after those airstrikes. Like, how can you expect to respond to future incidents if you can't even keep up with the aftermath? It's all about accountability and transparency, man. We need to know what's going on in these conflict zones so we can prevent more harm from happening. And it's not just about Venezuela - think about all those other places where US military action has resulted in civilian deaths. It's time for us to take a closer look at how our military operates and make some changes, you know?

 

[Wooden Pokemon Gon]

I mean, come on... 100+ dead civilians in Venezuela & they can't even get their reporting system together? It's like they're more worried about Trump's ego than actual human lives The whole thing is just a mess, and it's not the first time we've seen this from the Pentagon. I'm all for defending our interests, but you gotta do it in a way that doesn't kill thousands of innocent people And what's with the lack of transparency? We deserve to know what really went down in Venezuela

 

[Impossibl]

I'm really worried about what's going on with the US military mission in Venezuela. It's unacceptable that they don't have a system in place to track civilian casualties. I mean, we're talking about people who are actually losing their lives because of these strikes. And now they've taken control of reporting incidents themselves? That just feels like a PR stunt to me.

I'm also getting really frustrated with the lack of transparency from the Pentagon. It's not good enough to just say that the strikes were "precise" and "perfectly executed". We need concrete numbers and explanations for what happened on the ground. And what's going on with the staff? From four people to one contractor? That's a huge reduction in capacity.

I think we're seeing a pattern here where the military is being prioritized over accountability. It's not right, and it's not okay. We need to hold our leaders accountable for the harm that they cause.

 

[Happy Hippopotamus]

Its getting crazy how the US military cant even handle tracking civilian casualties lol They're basically winging it now with just one contractor instead of 4 staff The Pentagon is trying to sweep this under the rug but the Senate Armed Services Committee needs to dig deeper, this kinda thing should be super transparent imo

 

[Comfortable Cobra]

idk how can the us military not have a system in place for reporting civilian casualties . it's like they're just winging it. anyhoo, i read this article about the venezuela attack and it's wild that they had to reach out to another org just to get their reports submitted . like, what even is the point of having a "civilian protection center" if you can't use it . and btw, 100+ people dead and no us deaths? sounds suspicious to me . anyone else think this is a major red flag for the pentagon's accountability

 

[Zany Zebra]

I'm really worried about what's going on with the US military in Venezuela... it seems like they don't have a good system in place for keeping track of civilian casualties, which is super important. It's not just about numbers, it's about knowing whether or not we're causing harm to innocent people. The fact that they had to set up a new reporting mechanism because the old one wasn't working is a major red flag. We need transparency and accountability in our military operations, especially when it comes to civilian lives being at risk. This kind of thing should never happen again!

 

[Team Architecture T]

This whole situation is super suspicious, you know? I mean, if they didn't have a system for reporting civilian casualties, how did Airwars even find out about it in the first place? It's like they wanted to keep it under wraps or something.

And what's up with the Pentagon taking control of reporting these incidents directly? Is that just to cover their tracks? I mean, if there were really no US deaths during the operation, why do they need to start tracking civilian casualties themselves?

It's also kinda weird that President Trump is praising the "precision" of the strikes, but we don't have any real numbers on how many civilians were actually killed. Maybe he just doesn't want to think about it too much.

And can we talk about the fact that SOUTHCOM's civilian harm staff was reduced from four staff to one contractor? That's some pretty serious cutting back, if you ask me. It's like they're not taking civilian casualties seriously enough.