War crime sympathizer Hegseth to "relax" rules of war [View all]

[Tanuki]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/13/pete-hegseth-pentagon-lawyers-rules-of-war

"The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is expected in the coming weeks to start a sweeping overhaul of the judge advocate general’s corps as part of an effort to make the US military less restricted by the laws of armed conflict, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The changes are poised to have implications across the military, as Hegseth’s office considers changes to the interpretation of the US rules of engagement on the battlefield to the way that charges are brought under the military justice system.
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And in Trump’s first term, Hegseth privately and publicly as a host on Fox and Friends appealed to Trump to pardon US soldiers accused of committing war crimes, including Gallagher, who was accused of murdering a captive Islamic State fighter in Mosul.

Hegseth’s views as expressed in his book are shared by Parlatore, who saw the Gallagher case as an example of overzealous prosecution and suggested he could reform the Jag corps because he had experience as both a former officer and defense lawyer."... (more)