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Has President Biden authorized new US military operations since 2021?
Executive summary
President Biden has authorized U.S. military operations since taking office in 2021, including an early 2021 airstrike in Syria/Iraq and multiple counterterrorism and other strikes reported through 2023–2024; independent tracking counts U.S. counterterrorism actions in 78 countries and at least nine countries with ground combat and air strikes in at least four during 2021–2023 [1] [2] [3]. The Administration has sometimes relied on the president’s Article II authorities and submitted War Powers-style reports to Congress after a number of strikes, prompting debate over whether these actions required congressional authorization [4] [5].
1. Biden’s first use of force: a February 2021 airstrike that set the tone
One of President Biden’s first authorizations of force came in late February 2021, when U.S. forces carried out airstrikes targeting Iran‑backed militias on the Iraq–Syria border; the White House framed the action as ordered “at my direction,” and coverage from the BBC and other outlets described it as the administration’s first military action [6] [1]. Legal and policy commentary called attention to the strike’s rationale and urged clearer legal grounding and Congressional consultation, a debate that accompanied subsequent actions [7] [8].
2. Widespread counterterrorism operations across multiple countries
Research from Brown University’s Costs of War project documents that, between 2021 and 2023, the U.S. government conducted counterterrorism operations in 78 countries — including ground combat in at least nine countries and air strikes in at least four during the first three years of the Biden administration — showing continued kinetic activity despite rhetoric about ending “forever wars” [2] [3]. The Costs of War brief also notes many kinds of U.S. military activity (e.g., some special operations, CIA actions, information operations) are not fully counted in that map, so the record is likely broader than even that dataset indicates [2].
3. Repeated, sometimes contested strikes in Iraq, Syria and the wider Middle East
Beyond the 2021 strike, the Biden administration authorized multiple follow-on strikes tied to threats to U.S. personnel and partners in Iraq and Syria. Legal analysts noted specific strikes and the Administration’s explanations, and Congress received WPR‑style reports for several post‑October‑2023 strikes that cited inherent Article II authority in initial notifications [4] [8]. International policy groups and commentators have raised concerns that these uses of force test the boundaries of executive war powers and risk escalation, especially during crises tied to the Gaza war and broader regional tensions [5] [9].
4. Administration position on legal authority and Congressional oversight
Government submissions to Congress after a series of strikes have often relied on the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief and, in some instances, prior authorizations for the use of force (AUMFs), while legal scholars and advocacy groups press for clearer congressional authorization when strikes expand in scope or duration [4] [10]. The International Crisis Group and other observers argue the Biden administration’s pattern of strikes—particularly linked to the 2023‑24 Israel–Gaza war and Red Sea/Houthi operations—has strained the U.S. war‑powers “guardrails” designed to keep major hostilities under Congressional control [5].
5. Two competing narratives: continuity vs. restraint
One narrative — reflected in trackers and academic work — says kinetic U.S. activity continued at scale under Biden: widespread counterterrorism missions, strikes, and some ground combat [2] [3]. Another, emphasized by the White House and some analysts, is that Biden sought to narrow long‑running campaigns (e.g., end major combat operations in Afghanistan) and to shift posture toward deterrence and alliances rather than large new wars [11] [12]. Both are supported by reporting: Biden ended the Afghanistan mission timeline while concurrently authorizing discrete strikes and deployments in response to evolving threats [11] [12].
6. What the available reporting does not settle
Available sources document many strikes and deployments and legal filings, but they do not provide a single comprehensive list of “all new U.S. military operations authorized by Biden” or a definitive legal adjudication of each action’s necessity under international law; Brown’s map excludes certain categories of activity and the Administration’s public notices vary by episode [2] [4]. Whether any particular action legally required prior Congressional authorization remains contested in the scholarship and politics [4] [5].
Conclusions and context for readers: President Biden has authorized multiple U.S. military operations since 2021 — from an early Syria/Iraq airstrike to a wide array of counterterrorism activities across dozens of countries — and his Administration’s reliance on executive authority has spurred ongoing legal and political debates over war powers and oversight [1] [2] [4].