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National Security & Civil Liberties

Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001)

Enacted: 2001

Signed into law by

George W. Bush

In brief

Authorized the President to use 'all necessary and appropriate force' against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks — the legal foundation for two decades of counterterrorism operations.

The Act in depth

Passed by Congress on September 14, 2001 and signed by George W. Bush on September 18, the AUMF authorized the President to 'use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.' Successive administrations relied on the AUMF as legal authority for military operations in Afghanistan, drone strikes in Yemen and Somalia, and detention at Guantanamo Bay — subjects addressed by the Supreme Court in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004), Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006), and Boumediene v. Bush (2008). Congress has debated repealing or narrowing the AUMF for many years but has not done so.

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