The Blubber

Trump Loosens Restrictions on Military Raids and Airstrikes, Expands Targeting Scope

President Donald Trump has rolled back restrictions on U.S. commanders authorizing airstrikes and special operations raids outside conventional war zones, expanding the range of individuals who can be targeted, according to U.S. officials familiar with the policy shift.

The move marks a significant reversal of Biden-era mandates, signaling a return to the aggressive counterterrorism policies Trump first introduced during his first term.

Policy Shift Signed by Defense Secretary Hegseth

Earlier this month, during his first overseas trip, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with senior U.S. military leaders from U.S. Africa Command in Germany, where he signed a directive removing policy constraints and reducing executive oversight on airstrikes and special operations missions.

The new directive grants commanders greater flexibility in deciding who can be targeted, relaxing the centralized approval process that former President Joe Biden had imposed. Under Biden, airstrikes were highly regulated, typically requiring multiple layers of approval from top officials before action could be taken.

Risk vs. Reward of the New Approach

One senior Defense Department official told CBS News that Biden’s rules closely mirrored those set by President Barack Obama during his second term. Those regulations required multiple levels of authorization, ensuring airstrikes focused primarily on senior terrorist leaders.

However, the official noted that Trump’s approach brings both risks and rewards:

• Potentially faster degradation of terrorist groups, given the lower threshold for strikes.
• Wider target selection, allowing for a more aggressive approach.
• Higher risk of flawed decisions and civilian casualties, as fewer approval layers exist to vet targets.

During the Africa Command meeting, officials specifically discussed Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthis in Yemen as potential targets. It remains unclear whether the directive applies to all U.S. combatant commands worldwide.

Trump Administration Confirms Policy Shift

CBS News reached out to both the Pentagon and U.S. Africa Command for comment but has not received a response. However, on Friday, Hegseth confirmed the report by sharing CBS News' story on X, writing: "Correct."

Changes to Airstrike Approval Process

According to U.S. Africa Command, American airstrikes fall into two broad categories:

• Deliberate strikes: These follow a multi-layered approval process, ensuring targets are legal combatants under the law of armed conflict.
• Defensive strikes: These are used when U.S. or partner forces are in imminent danger and are typically approved by combatant commanders without requiring executive branch oversight.

Under Obama and Biden, deliberate strikes required approval from seven decision-makers, including the President. Targets had to be verified using two independent intelligence sources, and civilian casualties had to be projected as minimal. A single dissent from any official involved could halt the strike.

It is unclear whether these safeguards remain under Trump’s new directive, though similar policies were in place during his first term, with some exceptions—such as Afghanistan, where host nation approval was not always required.

Shake-up in the Pentagon

The directive comes amid significant upheaval at the Pentagon, following Trump’s removal of the top judge advocate generals from the Air Force, Army, and Navy. These officials traditionally oversee legal matters, including adherence to international laws of armed conflict.

Hegseth defended the firings, telling reporters on Monday that they were necessary to ensure there were no "roadblocks to orders given by a commander-in-chief."

"Ultimately, I want the best possible lawyers in each service to provide the best possible recommendations, no matter what," Hegseth said. "We didn't think those particular positions were well suited, so we're looking for the best."