Department of Defense Seeks to Reduce Civilian Casualties from Air Strikes

The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking advice on how to prevent civilian casualties when it and its allies conduct airstrikes.

“It is the policy of the executive branch to facilitate ally and partner efforts, through United States sales and security cooperation efforts, to reduce the risk of national or coalition operations causing civilian harm” a recently released request for information (RFI) noted.

DOD is looking for technical advice on tools and methodologies to assist with the following:

• Improve foreign countries' capacity to effectively employ strike capabilities in a manner that distinguishes between military objectives and civilians.
• Develop and integrate principles and techniques on the protection of civilians in relevant partner force standard operating procedures, encouraging and enabling a partner to avoid civilian casualties in the context of military operations.
• Build partner capacity to collect, track, and analyze civilian casualty data and apply lessons learned to future operations.
• Support enhanced investigatory and accountability standards in partner forces in order to ensure that such forces comply with the laws of armed conflict and observe appropriate standards for human rights and protection of civilians.
• Increase partner transparency, which may include the establishment of capabilities within partner militaries to improve communication with the public.

Those interested in responding must submit a capabilities statement by 1pm on June 14. The procurement office will hold 45-minute in-person briefings on June 18 and 19.

For further information and to submit a response, click here: https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=621f7cbfc04f114954b3b0526ce096ae&tab=core&_cview=0