Obama Administration Details Rationale for Covert Drone War
White House counterterrorism official John Brennan detailed the Obama administration’s rationale for using drone strikes against al-Qaeda targets, the first time the Obama administration has publicly laid out its defense of targeted killings outside of “hot” battlefields such as Afghanistan.
In a speech before the Woodrow Wilson Center today to mark the first anniversary of Navy Seals killing Osama bin Laden, Brennan said that President Obama wants to be more open with the American public about the use of targeted strikes.
“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-Qaeda terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones,” Brennan said. “And I’m here today because President Obama has instructed us to be more open with the American people about these efforts.”