RELEASE: Beyond Ethics, Legality — How Do We Gauge Whether Drone Strikes Are Effective?
As Congress Questions Drones, New Report Cites Information Needed to Evaluate Counter-terrorism Utility of Targeted Killing
A new report released today by intelligence analyst Joshua Foust entitled “Oversight for Effectiveness: A Counter-Terrorism Perspective of the Targeted Killings ‘White Paper’” outlines five areas where lack of available information about U.S. targeting killing policies threaten our ability to pursue an effective and sustainable program that advances U.S. counter-terrorism objectives and suggests a framework for beginning to address these challenges.
Read the full report here.
Following the publication earlier this month of a Department of Justice ‘white paper’ on the criteria for lethally targeting U.S. citizens, public and congressional interest in drones has increased steadily – as displayed in the hearings over John Brennan’s nomination to head the CIA, with a vote toward confirmation expected tomorrow, and a House Judiciary hearing today on the legal questions raised by drone strikes.
As with other advancements in the technology used in warfare, the path to striking an ideal balance between legal, ethical and strategic questions can be long, but asking the right questions is a critical first step. As President Obama declared in his State of the Union last month, “I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention, and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.”
This report lays out key concerns for our ability to execute an effective counter-terrorism strategy, which are raised by the Department of Justice ‘white paper’ and should be addressed as Congress, the White House, the public and the international community continue to seek answers about how drones fit into U.S. defense policy:
- A lack of publicly available information about the effects of drone programs threatens the ability to evaluate when and where it works, and thus the effectiveness of a broader counter-terrorism strategy.
- Counter-terrorism professionals need the ability to capture, detain, interrogate and try as well as target and kill.
- Public confidence about accountability is also a key component of long-term support for drone programs, inside and outside the United States.
- As a morale and legal matter, counter-terrorism professionals need clarity about legal authorities and their own responsibilities, duties, limits and protections.
- Broad legitimacy of the program will also require greater clarity about the authority under which strikes are conducted, where the United States is “at war.”
Having raised these questions, the report sketches how thoughtful answers and actions by the legislative and executive branches can improve effectiveness and legitimacy of the drone program.
Read the full report here.
