Editing Collateral damage (section)

==U.S. military approach==
The ''[[United States Air Force|USAF]] Intelligence Targeting Guide'' defines the term as the "unintentional damage or incidental damage affecting facilities, equipment, or personnel, occurring as a result of military actions directed against targeted enemy forces or facilities",<ref name="USAF">{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afpam14-210/part20.htm#page180 |title=USAF Intelligence Targeting Guide&nbsp;— AIR FORCE PAMPHLET 14- 210 Intelligence |access-date=6 October 2007 |date=1 February 1998 |page= 180}}</ref> stating that "[s]uch damage can occur to friendly, neutral, and even enemy forces". Another [[United States Department of Defense]] document uses "[u]nintentional or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that would not be lawful military targets in the circumstances ruling at the time",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf|title=Joint Doctrine Library|website=dtic.mil|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-date=24 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824034254/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> which also states that "[s]uch damage is not unlawful so long as it is not excessive in light of the overall military advantage anticipated from the attack".

In U.S. [[military terminology]], the unintentional destruction of allied or neutral targets is called "[[friendly fire]]".

The U.S. military follows a technology-based process for estimating and mitigating collateral damage. The software used is known as "FAST-CD" or "Fast Assessment Strike Tool—Collateral Damage".<ref>{{cite news|last=Bradley|first=Graham|title=Military Turns to Software to Cut Civilian Casualties|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=21 February 2003|page=A18}}</ref>