President Donald Trump’s administration is loosening restrictions on military airstrikes by giving commanders more autonomy to make lethal decisions, according to a U.S. defense official.
New rules allow high-ranking military officers to fire at targets without White House approval, as long as the targets previously received official terrorist designations, an official told Military Times.
The newly granted authority, the official said, is in part a response to the former administration’s substantial involvement in approving strikes, which military leaders felt was outsized and led to slow response times for eliminating time-sensitive targets like terrorists.
The Pentagon did not provide an official statement on the rule change. When reached by phone, the Defense Press Operations office directed Military Times to a post from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the social platform X that said, “Correct,” in response to a CBS News article about the Trump administration’s easing of rules on military airstrikes and special operation raids.
The loosening of rules comes amid a continued campaign to send American troops to the U.S.-Mexico border and an overall ramping up of counterterrorism efforts.
The Pentagon is in the process of sending roughly 3,000 more active-duty troops to the border, joining the already 9,200 troops currently stationed in the area.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a designation that — coupled with the new airstrike rules as explained by the U.S. defense official — allows military leaders to fire on them under a reduced chain of command.
The Trump administration has openly embraced airstrikes, ordering many since the start of the president’s second term, and at times using social media to bring awareness to them.
U.S. Central Command carried out several strikes against the designated terrorist organization Hurras al-Din, a Syrian al-Qaida affiliate.
U.S. Africa Command also targeted Islamic State militants in Somalia multiple times, including in an operation Feb. 1 that Trump assumed responsibility for. On social media, Trump said he ordered a precision military air strike against ISIS-Somalia terrorists in the Golis mountains, Somaliland. He posted video footage of the airstrike to X on Feb. 3.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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