Drones
312 Articles

UN Secretary General Calls for More Transparency About Drone Use
The United Nations Secretary-General has released a new report (A/2013/689) on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, which devotes significant attention to current drone…

Joint Letter from NGOs and Human Rights Groups to President Obama on Drone Program
Yesterday, a group of civil liberties and human rights groups wrote a joint letter to President Obama sharing their concerns with the U.S. drone program. The group, which includes…

Remarks on the Holy See’s Statement on Weaponized Drones
[Editor’s Note by Ryan Goodman – As Sarah Knuckey explains in an accompanying post, a statement by the Holy See at an intergovernmental conference in November constitutes…

Introduction to the Holy See’s Statement on Weaponized Drones
Today at Just Security, the Holy See’s Attaché to the United Nations for Disarmament and Security Affairs, Antoine Abi Ghanem, guest posts on a significant new statement…

Senators Call on Obama Administration to Provide the Public More Information on Drone Strikes
Last week, just before the Thanksgiving break, Senators Wyden, Udall and Heinrich sent Attorney General Eric Holder an important Thank You note. In their Nov. 26 letter, the senators…

Decision Time: Key Issues in the U.S.-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement
The U.S. and Afghanistan agreed this week on the terms for an extended U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after 2014.The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which the Loya Jirga…

HPSCI Rejects Drone Reporting Requirements in Intel Authorization Act
As Sarah Knuckey covered earlier this month in a post here on Just Security, the Senate Intelligence Committee included in the 2014 intelligence authorization bill requirements…

State Department Concludes Review of NGO Drone Strike Reports, Offers Public Response (Sort of)
The U.S. Department of State told reporters late last week that it had concluded its review of the Amnesty International and HRW targeted killing and drone strike reports. The…

Anonymous US Officials Admit CIA Accidentally Killed a Yemeni Child in a Drone Strike
Buried in a Los Angeles Times article yesterday was this remarkable government admission: In June, a drone-launched missile hit an SUV carrying an Al Qaeda commander in Yemen.…

Drone Reporting Requirement in the Intelligence Authorization Act and Congress’ Ability to Compel Public Disclosure
Last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted 13-2 to approve the 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act. Included in this appropriations bill is a new measure that would require…

Key Issues in the New Senate Bill to Require White House Drone Strike Casualty Reports
This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The legislation contains an important section which would…

Pakistan Test Fires Missile to Take Down Drones
It might have been easy to doubt the veracity of the Pakistan government’s public protestations against US drone strikes in light of secret agreements between the two governments…