Latest in Drones
In his May 2013 speech at National Defense University, President Obama called for new ways to think about drones and the United States’ policy on using these systems in counterterrorism operations. Now, nearly 3 years later, the Obama administration is in danger of leaving a legacy on drones that is long on rhetoric but short on substance.
Within the U.S. military, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has issued an instruction (CJCSI 3121.01B) regarding “Standing Rules of Engagement”. The focus of this instruction is contained in the following paragraph titled “Inherent Right of Self-Defense.”
Back in November, The Hill reported that the White House is looking into increasing the transparency of the drone program before President Obama’s imminent departure from office:
The White House wants to reduce the secrecy surrounding lethal drone strikes and other counterterrorism efforts, with an eye on President Obama's legacy when he leaves office in 14 months.
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Registration Task Force Aviation Rulemaking Committee has issued its final report dated November 21, 2015.
In an earlier post, I advanced the idea that the drone registration process could be used to make actual drone operation safer.
In principle, there are two approaches to make drone operation safer. Approach 1 (the approach I took in my original posting) is to maintain a keep-out bubble around airplanes in flight by giving airplanes a transmitter that could deactivate nearby drones. Approach 2 is to enforce no-fly zones around sensitive areas (such as airports).
According to NBC News (October 16, 2015), the U.S. Department of Transportation is about to announce a plan to require every purchaser of a drone to register it with the U.S. government. The plan is apparently driven by concerns about close calls between drones and aircraft nearby airports, though there are many other public safety issues associated with drones as well.
The Intercept’s “Drone Papers” leaker “believes the public has a right to know how the U.S. government decides to assassinate people.” Maybe so—or maybe public safety and the need for secrecy trump the public’s curiosity. Unfortunately, the leaker has unilaterally decided for all of us. One person with a thumb drive again trumps the democratic process.
Yesterday afternoon, President Obama sent a letter to Congress alerting members that 300 U.S.
Nearly seven years into his presidency, we probably shouldn’t be asking who Barack Obama is any more. We should already know him well.
Yet at least as pertains to the drone program, we have yet to figure the man out.
If you own an iPhone and are one of the users of the drone-tracking app “Metadata+," you were greeted on Sunday morning with an alert that Apple had removed your app from its online store.