CBS: Trump Reduced Restrictions on Airstrike Authorization

According to informed American officials, U.S. President Donald Trump has reduced the restrictions on U.S. military commanders regarding the authorization of airstrikes and special operations outside of conventional battlefields, expanding the range of targets that can be attacked. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, during his first foreign trip in this position to Germany, signed an order in a meeting with senior U.S. military commanders at the U.S. Army Africa Command that reduces the policy and oversight restrictions on airstrikes and the deployment of U.S. special forces. American officials, who spoke to CBS News on the condition of anonymity due to not having permission to comment publicly on national security issues, stated that this action prioritizes flexibility by expanding the powers of military commanders in determining targets while simultaneously reducing the centralized multi-layered controls for conducting airstrikes and special operations that former President Joe Biden had imposed. During Biden's administration, airstrikes were primarily focused on senior leaders of terrorist organizations. According to informed American officials, the armed Islamist group al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have been discussed as potential targets. It is unclear whether other U.S. combatant commands around the world have received the same guidance. CBS News also reported that it contacted the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Africa Command on Tuesday but received no response. According to information from the U.S. Africa Command website, U.S. military airstrikes are generally divided into two categories: targeted and defensive. Targeted strikes follow a multi-layered process involving regulations and high-level reviews that were implemented during Biden's administration through the Joint Chiefs and the executive branch. In this process, military lawyers review collected intelligence to determine whether the individuals targeted for strikes are legally considered combatants under the laws of war. This process is aimed at reducing the risk of mistakenly killing innocent people instead of terrorist suspects. However, defensive airstrikes are conducted in "limited circumstances" when U.S. forces or designated partners are under immediate threat from hostile forces. Such attacks are typically authorized by combatant command and do not require executive branch approval.