We’ve been hearing about unmanned aircraft strikes on suspected terrorists in the tribal regions of Pakistan, in Afghanistan and lately in Somalia and Yemen, for years now. So it’s surprising that the U.S. government’s first official acknowledgement that it uses remotely piloted aircraft—drones, if you must—to take down terrorists came just one week ago.
John Brennan, deputy national security advisor for homeland security and counterterrorism, laid out the government’s case for using unmanned aircraft April 30 in a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. “Yes, in full accordance with the law, and in order to prevent terrorist attacks on the United States and to save American lives, the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qaida terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones,” Brennan said, according to a transcript. “And I’m here today because President Obama has instructed us to be more open with the American people about these efforts.”
