Posted on 12/28/2011 12:55:48 PM PST by Seizethecarp
In the space of three years, the administration has built an extensive apparatus for using drones to carry out targeted killings of suspected terrorists and stealth surveillance of other adversaries. The apparatus involves dozens of secret facilities, including two operational hubs on the East Coast, virtual Air Force cockpits in the Southwest and clandestine bases in at least six countries on two continents.
The rapid expansion of the drone program has blurred long-standing boundaries between the CIA and the military. Lethal operations are increasingly assembled a la carte, piecing together personnel and equipment in ways that allow the White House to toggle between separate legal authorities that govern the use of lethal force.
In Yemen, for instance, the CIA and the military’s Joint Special Operations Command pursue the same adversary with nearly identical aircraft. But they alternate taking the lead on strikes to exploit their separate authorities, and they maintain separate kill lists that overlap but don’t match. CIA and military strikes this fall killed three U.S. citizens, two of whom were suspected al-Qaeda operatives.
The convergence of military and intelligence resources has created blind spots in congressional oversight. Intelligence committees are briefed on CIA operations, and JSOC reports to armed services panels. As a result, no committee has a complete, unobstructed view.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The word “courage” and the name “Ubama” live in different universes.
Yeah, Uh-huh. Sure.
Anyone who knows anything about development and production can tell you that this program was in development and first deployed during the last adminstration. 0-Zero gets the benefit of full scale production. These wheels were in motion loooooooong before he became a senator.
So much spin in that article, I’m dizzy.
Uh, I think we got the idea from Israel, right?
I’m willing to bet Obama, his cronies, and several members of congress own a large portion of General Atomics and/or its affiliates.
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