When a trio of lawmakers introduced legislation in July that would curb presidential war-making powers, they said reforms are required because the executive branch has run amok with the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)—passed in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. “Today we have combat troops in over a half dozen countries in the world with no debate from Congress,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said at the time, claiming that the 2001 AUMF has been used to justify military operations in seven countries. A new paper from Brown University’s Costs of War Project shows that the 2001 AUMF has been used to justify a far broader set of military actions than the combat operations cited by Murphy. According to the Dec. 14 report (pdf), the 2001 AUMF has since been used to justify military action in at least 22 countries. “Since the passing of the 2001 AUMF, …