Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described the mission and moral purpose of the war in Iran as the unleashing of “death and destruction from the sky all day long.” U.S.-Israeli bomb, missile and drone strikes have already killed more than 1,200 civilians in Iran, according to the Iran Health Ministry. Iranian health officials report over 10,000 injured Iranians.
This has been accomplished with minimal risk to American armed forces — although even one death is a tragedy for family and friends of the deceased. Thirteen American service personnel have been killed since Feb. 28. Of the 200 wounded, more than 180 have returned to duty.
Human carnage and contempt for the other are byproducts of war. Secretary Hegseth accedes to these outcomes with his bluster and advocacy for the United States to be a warrior nation. Consistent with his commitment to brute force, he has moved to dissolve the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, established by the U.S. Congress to minimize civilian deaths during combat.
In response to Hegseth’s actions, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) joined 13 of his colleagues in sending a letter urging Hegseth to preserve the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence at the Department of Defense. The letter included the affirmation that reducing civilian casualties in warfare is a “moral imperative.”
As Hegseth and others embrace missile and cyber warfare, the needle of the nation’s moral compass spins in confusion. Weapons of massive destruction are plentiful in the U.S. and Israeli arsenals. “At the point of (their) impact, where buildings shatter and flesh is shredded, the war inhabits the material world of awful human consequences,” Fintan O’Toole wrote for the New York Review.
There are glide bombs, one variant is a cluster weapon that blankets enemy air-defense sites with bomblets. There are general purpose bombs that come in three sizes: 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pounds. There are drones and missiles. Employing these weapons makes the impact of traditional old war machine ways feel like the sting of a mosquito.
And there are the helpless civilian adults and children huddled below. Even with an active Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, it may be problematic to expect that there are methods that could introduce a humane element to war raging from the skies. Even so, the nations of the world need to take a whole new look at the implications of contemporary warfare. In the words from Sen. Kaine’s letter, “Reducing civilian casualties in warfare is an obvious moral imperative necessary for its own sake. But it is also a strategic imperative. The credibility of U.S. foreign policy flows not just from our raw military power but also from our reputation as a nation that values innocent life and protects noncombatants.”
If Hegseth has his way, the spinning of America’s moral imperative compass will settle upon the political direction of “raw military power.” If allowed to reign, that power will not only be the signature of U.S. foreign policy, it will also creep into the administration of domestic policy — witness the actions of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it invades the life of U.S. citizens.
Standing up to bullies is never easy. However, it is within the human potential to figure it out. Encourage actions like Sen. Kaine’s letter to Hegseth. Exchange threats with trustworthy actions. Greet fear with an extended hand of assurance. Look not to the sky as a medium for carrying bombs and missiles. Rather, fill the sky with the shared breath of life for all of humanity.
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.