Obama Plans To Make Major Shift To The Drone Progam: Report

The Obama Administration controversial drone program has prompted backlash from both liberals and conservatives who demand more transparency. The Middle Eastern drone plane drop bombs operated by a remote controller-like device on areas believed to be inhabited by targeted terrorists.  However, during these attacks, which are initiated by the CIA, an uncounted number of civilians have also been killed.

Though the Obama Administration has increased the number of drone strikes at an unprecedented rate, the president has kept the number of killings under tight wraps.  After mounting pressure, it now seems like President Obama will shift the program from under the CIA's control to the Department of Defense, according to a new report released by The Daily Beast.  The Daily Beast says that this exclusive information has been confirmed by three senior level US officials. 

Under the military, sanctions for a drone program could become tougher while the program might be subjected to more accountability and transparency, writes The Daily Beast's Daniel Klaidman.

"Currently, the government maintains parallel drone programs, one housed in the CIA and the other run by the Department of Defense," states Klaidman. "The proposed plan would unify the command and control structure of targeted killings and create a uniform set of rules and procedures. The CIA would maintain a role, but the military would have operational control over targeting."

A senior Obama official told the outlet, "This is a big deal. It would be a pretty strong statement."

Shifting the CIA's drone operations to the military would be phased in during Obama's second term and could take as little as a year.  CIA and DOD operators would work hand-in-hand to ensure a smooth transition.  However, the CIA could potentially lose its rights over the drone expertise and technology that it developed over the past decade.

"The policy shift is part of a larger White House initiative known internally as "institutionalization," an effort to set clear standards and procedures for lethal operations," writes Klaidman. "More than a year in the works, the inter-agency process has been driven and led by John Brennan, who until he became CIA director earlier this month was Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser. "Brennan," says the reporter, "has grown uncomfortable with the ad hoc and sometimes shifting rules that have governed it. Moreover, Brennan has publicly stated that he would like to see the CIA move away from the kinds of paramilitary operations it began after the September 11 attacks, and return to its more traditional role of gathering and analyzing intelligence."

The shift would also mean that sanctions for drone strikes would be subjected to the DOD's inter-agency vetting progress and President Obama would need to sign off on individual kill or capture operations.  In addition, the military, unlike the CIA, is also bound by international law and the laws of war.

However, The Daily Beast adds that despite these distinctions, this shift might not necessarily result in more openness and accountability because the "targeted killing operations will likely be run by the highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command, the umbrella organization for shadow warriors like the Navy SEALs and Delta Force. And while they run clandestine, rather than covert operations, JSOC is not known for its eagerness to advertise its operations with the press or Congress."