Obama Administration Has Used Record Number Of Military Drones

In the five years leading up to the Barack Obama presidency the United States had launched 44 drone attacks, all of which were focused on Pakistan and which killed 400 people. Since taking the Oval office job however that number has soared under Obama to more than 240 strikes with at least four times as many people dead.

Under the Obama administration the U.S. is also suspected of building dozens of secret drone facilities with bases located in at least six countries. According to the Washington Post the attacks are part of Obama’s “emerging global apparatus for drone killing.”

Obama however isn’t the first U.S. President to see the the drones as a tactical advantage for the United States, the program began to develop under former President George W. Bush but has been vastly expanded by President Obama over the last 3 years.

According to the report the drone program expansion has occurred largely because several members of the President’s inner circle have become “enamored” by them, specifically Hillary Clinton, Leon Panetta and John Brennan. In fact only one top member of the Obama administration has been critical of the program and that member, Donald Blair, has since been fired from his post.

While a former Obama official says the President was initially “oddly passive” of the program, although another official disputes that claim.

Even with successful drone missions flow on a regular basis there is still a level of concern, because the CIA and military split up strikes there is often little to no oversight. The CIA and military each have their own “kill lists” for example which makes it hard for congress to gather a whole picture of the campaigns overall efficacy.

Do you think the U.S. of military drones is better than putting military lives at risk in traditional fight jets or should the U.S. back off it’s drone expansion program?