Drone Killings

[12borowskia]

I've been wondering what the majority consensus is around here about the President's targeted killings. Was it an appropriate use of the POTUS's power, or is this the first move of a tyrannical leader?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - let the generals handle it, dey know what dey doin'...

Military takeover of lethal drone operations under consideration
March 20th, 2013 > The Obama administration is considering shifting lethal drone operations run by the Central Intelligence Agency over to the military, U.S. officials tell CNN.

The proposal is under "serious consideration," one U.S. official said. The official said no final decision has been made, and that there is no specific time frame in place, but that the change is being considered "due to a desire for greater transparency in who is being targeted." By law, the military is not able to act covertly the way the CIA can, and it must answer to Congress. The Daily Beast website first reported on the potential shift.

The U.S. MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle has been used to take out key targets in the war on terror.

The military would operate and fly the drones, an administration official told CNN, but targeting would still be done jointly by various agencies. The shift would happen over time. "It won't happen overnight," the U.S. official said, adding that operations in some countries would transfer to U.S. military control before other nations. "Yemen is an example of one of the first programs that could shift," the official tells CNN, while shifting the responsibility for the program that operates in Pakistan "would be much further out."

CIA Director John Brennan has expressed a desire to move the intelligence agency back to traditional intelligence-collecting. "The CIA should not be doing traditional military activities and operations," Brennan said at his confirmation hearing.

Source

See also:

Immigrant Business Flying High with Airborne Drones
March 19, 2013 — For a young Mexican immigrant, a hobby building toy helicopters has grown into a multi-million-dollar business. The immigrant and his company are flying high with airborne drones.

It began with a remote-controlled helicopter that Jordi Munoz got as a gift from his mother. Munoz, who is now 26, used a game controller and a component he bought online to modify the toy, five years ago. “It did not work, the first version, but that is the beginning of everything," said Munoz.

As he stabilized and improved the toy aircraft, Munoz built an online following of hobbyists through a blog. With money borrowed from a friend, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine Chris Anderson, Munoz bought the parts to build more drones and advertised online. “And then I sold them in one day," he said. "So I multiplied the money by a factor of four in 24 hours.”

With his friend Anderson, Munoz founded the company 3D Robotics. Anderson left his journalism job to become the company's chief executive. 3D Robotics manufacturers its own computer chips, the brain of the devices, and sells to hobbyists and businesses worldwide. The drones cost just a fraction of the price of military versions, selling for hundreds - not thousands - of dollars. The company employs 30 workers in the United States and 25 across the Mexican border in Tijuana, and the Tijuana plant is being expanded.

As privately-owned drones have become more popular, some are raising concerns about privacy issues. Yet with demand increasing, Munoz says he wants to build his business along the U.S.-Mexico border, instead of manufacturing more cheaply in Asia. “It is better if we keep the money on this side of the continent, rather than sending money to China and manufacture over there," he said. Munoz says the drones can used be used for security, research and other serious applications, or flown by hobbyists just for fun, and that his company has helped create a market for this new technology.

Source

 

[Agit8r]

Granny says, "Dat's right - let the generals handle it, dey know what dey doin'...

Military takeover of lethal drone operations under consideration
March 20th, 2013 > The Obama administration is considering shifting lethal drone operations run by the Central Intelligence Agency over to the military, U.S. officials tell CNN.

The proposal is under "serious consideration," one U.S. official said. The official said no final decision has been made, and that there is no specific time frame in place, but that the change is being considered "due to a desire for greater transparency in who is being targeted." By law, the military is not able to act covertly the way the CIA can, and it must answer to Congress. The Daily Beast website first reported on the potential shift.

The U.S. MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle has been used to take out key targets in the war on terror.

The military would operate and fly the drones, an administration official told CNN, but targeting would still be done jointly by various agencies. The shift would happen over time. "It won't happen overnight," the U.S. official said, adding that operations in some countries would transfer to U.S. military control before other nations. "Yemen is an example of one of the first programs that could shift," the official tells CNN, while shifting the responsibility for the program that operates in Pakistan "would be much further out."

CIA Director John Brennan has expressed a desire to move the intelligence agency back to traditional intelligence-collecting. "The CIA should not be doing traditional military activities and operations," Brennan said at his confirmation hearing.

Source

See also:

Immigrant Business Flying High with Airborne Drones
March 19, 2013 — For a young Mexican immigrant, a hobby building toy helicopters has grown into a multi-million-dollar business. The immigrant and his company are flying high with airborne drones.

It began with a remote-controlled helicopter that Jordi Munoz got as a gift from his mother. Munoz, who is now 26, used a game controller and a component he bought online to modify the toy, five years ago. “It did not work, the first version, but that is the beginning of everything," said Munoz.

As he stabilized and improved the toy aircraft, Munoz built an online following of hobbyists through a blog. With money borrowed from a friend, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine Chris Anderson, Munoz bought the parts to build more drones and advertised online. “And then I sold them in one day," he said. "So I multiplied the money by a factor of four in 24 hours.”

With his friend Anderson, Munoz founded the company 3D Robotics. Anderson left his journalism job to become the company's chief executive. 3D Robotics manufacturers its own computer chips, the brain of the devices, and sells to hobbyists and businesses worldwide. The drones cost just a fraction of the price of military versions, selling for hundreds - not thousands - of dollars. The company employs 30 workers in the United States and 25 across the Mexican border in Tijuana, and the Tijuana plant is being expanded.

As privately-owned drones have become more popular, some are raising concerns about privacy issues. Yet with demand increasing, Munoz says he wants to build his business along the U.S.-Mexico border, instead of manufacturing more cheaply in Asia. “It is better if we keep the money on this side of the continent, rather than sending money to China and manufacture over there," he said. Munoz says the drones can used be used for security, research and other serious applications, or flown by hobbyists just for fun, and that his company has helped create a market for this new technology.

Source

The CIA does answer to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence