Washington Lawyer: Lethal Force (Good article exploring all the facets of the drone campaign)
For years the United States hunted down Anwar al–Awlaki, an American citizen accused of recruiting terrorists and planning lethal attacks. But always he narrowly escaped capture or death. Then, on September 30, 2011, in northern Yemen, the imam’s luck ran out. Unmanned planes operated remotely by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) unleashed a barrage of missiles aimed at al–Awlaki, killing him in a fiery explosion.
The swift and “nearly flawless” execution of the airstrike is a testament to the United States’ growing drone arsenal targeting suspected terrorists. Al–Awlaki’s death is also proof of the U.S. government’s increasingly sophisticated tactic on how it tracks down its enemies. And judging by its five–year “investment choices” plan, released in January, the U.S. Department of Defense intends to pursue this type of warfare. While the Pentagon proposes to cut its budget by closing bases and by reducing its number of ships, planes, and troops, it seeks to preserve funding for special operations forces and unmanned drones for counterterrorism efforts.
Due in part to al–Awlaki’s death, the debate over how this country uses lethal force abroad has intensified. Certain things are clear: the United States is not fighting a conventional war; the enemy does not wear a uniform representing a specific country; there is no clearly defined war zone or battlefield; and modern technology has streamlined the killing process, making it easier than ever to use lethal force with increasing precision and decreasing effort.
And with this backdrop, security law experts, government officials, human rights activists, and members of the international community are debating the rules by which the United States should abide in its pursuit of lethal force abroad. Certainly, in the next few years, all three branches of the U.S. government will be creating and refining the legal parameters of the battle against terrorism. Meanwhile, the world will grapple with new warfare technology and the next generation of global threats.
Much more: http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/resources/publications/washington_lawyer/march_2012/lethal_force.cfm
