WATCH: In SASC Hearing, Kelly Demands Answers on Cuts to Civilian Protection Staff, Propaganda Funding Gap

This week, during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly (D-AZ) demanded answers from the commanders of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the gutting of Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response (CHMR) staff and on a funding shortfall leaving AFRICOM unable to effectively counter Chinese and Russian disinformation across Africa.

Kelly pressed Admiral Cooper directly on the reduction of CENTCOM's civilian harm mitigation team: "My understanding is that you've gone from ten down to one as part of a department wide reduction in CHMR, that their role is to try to minimize harm to civilians when we're conducting combat operations."

Kelly asked whether Cooper would reinstate staff if an error in the targeting process were found.

Kelly also asked Cooper about the civilian casualty count from the war in Iran, including the strike on a girls' elementary school in Minab that reportedly killed at least 168 people, mostly children, to which Cooper said an investigation remains ongoing. In March, Kelly joined 45 colleagues to demand answers from the Pentagon on the Minab airstrike and broader civilian casualties in the war on Iran.

Kelly then turned to General Anderson on AFRICOM's information operations funding gap, limiting America's ability to fight Chinese and Russian propaganda, misinformation and disinformation on the continent: "You requested $94 million for information operation activities. You were promised $25 million from the department. You ultimately received only $19 million […] What are you able to do if you were fully funded?"

Anderson said more funding would allow AFRICOM to actively combat Chinese and Russian propaganda instead of just react to it, arguing America's best weapon is the truth: "What America brings is very unique. We're still a beacon of hope and light in the world, and I think we should be willing to talk about who we are. […] we should focus on the goodness and the positivity of engaging with America and worry less about the disinformation that our partners put out. But we have to engage in this environment. We have to be active in the information space."

Kelly agreed, saying the U.S. should get AFRICOM the resources it needs to do the job.

Sen. Kelly questions Admiral Cooper and General Anderson during a SASC hearing.

Click here to download a video of Kelly's remarks. See the transcript below:

Senator Kelly:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Admiral Cooper. General Anderson, thank you both for being here today. Admiral Cooper, I want to start with you. I've got questions for both of you, but I want to talk a little bit about the civilian harm mitigation team at CENTCOM. My understanding is that you've gone from ten down to one as part of a department wide reduction in CHMR, that their role is to try to minimize harm to civilians when we're conducting combat operations. Is that correct, you've gone from ten to one?

Admiral Charles B. Cooper:

Yes, sir. There's a larger component to this. Over a course of years, we've gone from a compliance to civilian casualties in risk mitigation being just part of the culture. There are dozens, if not hundreds of people who are involved in this process.

Kelly:

What did those nine individuals do who were removed from there from their jobs?

Cooper:

They're now integrated in other capacities. They retained in other capacities in the joint, what we would call joint-

Kelly:

But what were they doing when they were part of the civilian harm mitigation team?

Cooper:

They're playing a key role in helping us move from compliance to culture on safeguards, focusing on it every day, which they continue to do.

Kelly:

So, by your estimates, how many civilians have been killed or injured over the course of this war?

Cooper:

The investigation on the one incident that we've had after more than 13,000 strikes is still underway. We will certainly be transparent, get it released that when we can. This is a matter that I'm passionate about. I'd like to use the occasion to invite you, other members of the committee and your staffs to Tampa to take a look at what our targeting process looks like.

Kelly:

If you were to find out that there was an error in the targeting process, would you reinstate some of those people that were removed from that team?

Cooper:

Sir. That's a hypothetical. I'm always looking to organize to purpose, and we'll just see what the implications-

Kelly:

Are you taking any additional steps now because of the civilian casualties to date?

Cooper:

We have taken additional steps. Our additional steps have been very proactive throughout Epic Fury. Our staff specifically warned the Iranian people more than 100 times about the threat of them being used as human shields. I personally warn the Iranian people on March 8th, 11th and the 23rd that they had the potential to be human shields and that communication was very effective. So again, we're moving not just targeting, but a proactive measures to minimize.

Kelly:

Thank you for doing that. General Anderson. So, China and Russia continue to expand their influence across Africa, we discussed this, with misinformation, disinformation, across many African countries. You requested $94 million for information operation activities. You were promised-and this is in fiscal year 26.-you were promised $25 million from the department. You ultimately received only $19 million. Can you talk about the difference between having $19 million to do that job and $94 million, like, what are you able to do if you were fully funded General Anderson, I get it. I mean, we see this stuff all the time. The amount of misinformation that comes from the Chinese and the Russians, it is a huge problem. But if you could just explain to us a little bit about what you could do if you had the full request.

General Dagvin R.M. Anderson:

Senator, I think the key point there is right now, we are in a reactionary mode to propaganda and to other information operations, to what we can do at the moment. What the fuller funding would do, especially if it's consistent over time, would allow us to build an information campaign and address these issues across the continent. We're one of the few organizations that looks across the entirety of the continent, and can understand how these propaganda and misinformation play across borders. We work very closely with the State Department, U.S. embassies on this to make sure our messaging is key, but this would allow us to do is help coordinate that messaging across regions and across the continent to highlight the issues that come with this misinformation, especially as much of it is destabilizing the democracies across the region.

Kelly:

Do you ever feel like we should be countering some of their disinformation with disinformation of our own?

Anderson:

Sir, I think the most powerful tool we have is the truth. What America brings is very unique. We're still a beacon of hope and light in the world, and I think we should be willing to talk about who we are. This is America's 250th anniversary. There's a long history on the continent that is, I mean, it's good and bad, but there's a lot of good that we can talk about, of what America brings. The fact that John C. Robinson founded the Tuskegee Airmen two years later, founded the Ethiopian Air Force, and then went on to found Ethiopian Airlines, which is now the pride not only of Ethiopia, but Africa. It's not a story that's well known, but that is a tie that we have had between the aviation communities for years. There are multiple stories like that across the continent that we need to propagate and talk about. So, I would say we should focus on the goodness and the positivity of engaging with America and worry less about the disinformation that our partners put out. But we have to engage in this environment. We have to be active in the information space.

Kelly:

So you got about 25% of the requests. So, if you got the full amount, you could put more out there, positive stuff that the United States is doing. And I know these are challenging times with resources even beyond what DoD has, USAID and others. But do you think that that would be sufficient to counter Chinese and Russian misinformation?

Anderson:

Senator, I think information operations is one of the lower cost investments that we can make that have outsized return and help amplify the limited resources we have in the military side and highlight the benefits that those provide, and being able to talk about that broadly, I do think has outside proportion. So, small investments can have large impact. And this is an area of information where I think we can make a lot of gains, even despite our smaller physical presence, that can highlight the totality of what the United States brings.

Kelly:

I 100% agree with you, General, and we should really look into get you the resources you need to do this job. Thank you.