According to reports, the Trump administration has permitted U.S. military commandants to conduct airstrikes or special operations raids in areas other than conventional battlefields.
CBS News reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had signed a directive to ease policy constraints and executive supervision on airstrikes and the deployments of American commandos.
Hegseth met senior U.S. military officials from the U.S. Africa Command during his first trip abroad in Germany.
The secretary met with senior officials to discuss strategic priorities, regional threats, and cooperation with partners and allies. The U.S. Africa Command said that he stressed the Department of Defense’s commitment to increasing lethality, improving readiness, and strengthening partnerships to counter emerging threats, maintain stability, and combat new threats.
The new counterterrorism mandates are similar to the aggressive policies that President Donald Trump pursued during his first term. Sources told CBS News that they prioritize flexibility, giving commanders more latitude in deciding who to target.
Officials said that Trump’s strategy could potentially degrade the capabilities of foreign terrorist groups faster due to the lower threshold for striking and the broader target selection.
The report stated that officials at the Pentagon have discussed possible targets, including the Islamist armed groups Al-Shabaab and Houthis of Yemen.
Although President Claudia Sheinbaum has warned that Mexico will not tolerate any invasion of sovereignty, there is also talk about using drones against cartels in Mexico.
Hegseth’s directive reverses the war policies implemented by former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Airstrikes by the United States can be classified into two types: defensive and deliberate.
“Deliberate attacks go through multiple steps of review and are overseen at different levels throughout the development of targets. Defensive attacks are only carried out in rare circumstances, when U.S. forces or those of a designated partner are in immediate danger by hostile forces. According to the U.S. Africa Command, “U.S. forces are entitled to use self-defense when they are attacked by hostile actors.”
Hegseth, in his first weeks as secretary of state, has witnessed Trump’s sudden firing of the country’s top military officer amid a massive wave of dismissals from the Pentagon.
The Hill reported that Hegseth fired two Judge Advocates general officers on Monday because they were “roadblocks” for Trump’s agenda.
“It’s not about roadblocks to an agenda,” Hegseth told reporters. “It’s roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief.”
