Bring Drone Warfare Out of the Shadows

The White House has ordered a review of U.S. policy on using drones to kill terrorism suspects in foreign countries. The goal should be to provide greater transparency about America’s reliance on such aircraft, without compromising their value to national security.

Over the past decade, drones have played an increasingly significant role in military and intelligence operations against members of al-Qaeda, Islamic State and affiliated terrorist networks, particularly in areas where the U.S. has a minimal troop presence. President Barack Obama’s administration conducted at least 550 drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia alone. The use of drones increased during the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, but the U.S. has since disclosed less information about both the frequency and consequences of the strikes. A 2019 executive order waived the requirement that intelligence officials publicly report the number of strikes conducted outside of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, as well as estimated militant and civilian casualties from those operations.