By Zvi Smith and Michael R. Gordon
While power plants are generally considered to be civilian infrastructure, current and former U.S. military officials say that an adversary's electrical infrastructure can sometimes qualify as a legitimate military target.
Under the Law of Armed Conflict, if striking power infrastructure makes a concrete contribution to a military operation and the potential harm to civilians is minimized, it can be permissible, they say.
"Expected civilian harm-including second order effects from loss of electricity-cannot be excessive relative to the anticipated military advantage," said David Deptula, a retired Air Force Lieutenant General who helped direct attacks during the 1991 Desert Storm campaign to evict Iraqi forces from Kuwait. "The choice between temporary disruption and permanent destruction can influence this analysis."
The primary legal justification for attacking Iraq's electrical network in 1991 was to disrupt its military's command and control, said Michael Schmitt, professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served as a judge advocate general. The generals sought to do this by targeting power lines and avoiding strikes on generators, though this guidance was not always carried out in practice by U.S. aircrews.
Each case has to be assessed on its own merits. Among the considerations, Schmitt said, is whether there are other ways to achieve the same military effect, including cyber attacks. President Trump did not address any of the legal issues when he threatened in a social media post Saturday to bomb the biggest power plant in Iran.
"Military officers that are conducting the analysis of the target will do a very granular assessment of the strike," Schmitt said.
"You cannot bomb a power station to send a message. You have to be able to articulate a 'definite military advantage,' not a political advantage," he added. "Disrupting enemy morale or changing the thinking of leadership by destroying civilian objects-that's not a thing."
The U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military forces in the Middle East, has provided no indication that it is planning to carry out such strikes.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 22, 2026 14:34 ET (18:34 GMT)
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