Hegseth Replaces Pentagon Civilian Protection Office with AI Before Iran War
In January 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drastically reduced the Pentagon's Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) staff, cutting the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence from 40 to 9 personnel. The remaining staff are reportedly barred from investigating incidents like the Minab elementary school bombing that killed 120 children on the first day of the Iran war. The cuts affected AFRICOM, CENTCOM, and SOUTHCOM, with CENTCOM's CHMR reduced to a single person. Hegseth replaced human oversight with Palantir's Maven Smart System AI, which a defense official claimed offers better civilian protection. Senator Elizabeth Warren and nine other Democrats sent a letter criticizing the cuts, warning they lead to target misidentification, wasted munitions, and increased operational risks. Former Protection Center Chief Wes Bryant stated the remaining program has little influence on operations. Thousands of Iranian civilians have been killed since the downsizing.
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