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Strategic Considerations:
In evaluating the use of drones as part of a broader counterterrorism strategy, there are several considerations: Location. To date, the US is only known to have operated drones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen. The nature of the environment in which they are used determines the role drones play in strategic operations. In normal combat zones like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, U.S. officials discuss drone operations openly. U.S. officials do not often discuss drone operations in Yemen, Pakistan, and Somalia. Mission. Policymakers like drones because they are considered an efficient, effective way to gather intelligence and target suspected terrorists. Their advantages include: Can be sent into hostile territory with no risk to the lives of pilot Can loiter for hours without the constraints of shift schedules or human endurance Can be rapidly reassigned to a different target Can target and strike with precision Have superior sensor technology that enables the collection of more intelligence than can be analyzed on the ground4 Measurement. Despite their ongoing use in both combat and non-combat environments, there has been no meaningful measurement of the actual efficacy of lethal drone strikes to date. Among the most pertinent questions, are: Is the manner in which drones are used securing American interests? Are drones contributing to the permanent degradation of local insurgencies and militant networks? Do the security effects of drone programs justify the political and social consequences? Are drones part of a broader counterterrorism strategy, or have they simply become the strategy entirely? Understanding the efficacy of drone programs as part of a broader counterterrorism strategy can only be achieved through the development of metrics and prudent measurement. In this manner, the US can ensure that its use of drones in counterterrorism operations are well-advised and do not overreach, or fall short, of strategic objectives. (Endnotes)
1. 2. Charter of the United Nations, Article 51, http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter7.shtml. United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston: Study on targeted killings, 28 May 2010, http://www2.ohchr.org/english/ bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/A.HRC.14.24.Add6.pdf. Department of Defense, Selected Acquisition Reports, 2010-2011, http://www.acq.osd.mil/ara/am/sar/. Spencer Ackerman, Air Force Chief: Itll Be Years Before We Catch Up on drone Data, Wireds Danger Room blog, 5 April 2012, http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/04/air-force-drone-data/.
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