[Insider] The Pentagon's Inspector General is investigating US Central Command's (CENTCOM) and US Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) handling of potential war-crimes cases within their operational jurisdiction or by their units.
CENTCOM is one of the more important unified combatant commands in the US military, as it is responsible for the Middle East and parts of Africa. SOCOM is responsible for developing, equipping, and employing most US special-operations units.
According to the Inspector General, the objective of the investigation is two-fold: First, to evaluate and determine the extent to which CENTCOM and SOCOM developed programs compliant with the Defense Department's Law of War requirements and aimed at preventing or reducing potential war crimes, and second, to determine whether CENTCOM and SOCOM properly investigated allegations of potential war crimes.
In addition to CENTCOM and SOCOM, Inspector General will be investigating US Forces-Afghanistan, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve — which is name for the US-led coalition against ISIS — and Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC).
The investigation comes after an ethics review within US special-operations units and a major scandal in the Australian special-operations community, where an extensive investigation revealed several cases of war crimes by the Special Air Service Regiment — a unit equivalent to Delta Force and SEAL Team 6 — and the Commando Regiments. |