But the broader shift in US priorities away from counterterrorism and toward competition with China and Russia - and the increased political scrutiny on civilian casualties - to a certain degree makes the changes inevitable, these people said.
Some counterterrorism operators and analysts have likely chafed at the tightened restrictions, sources familiar with the deliberations over the new rules say. "I think this is overwhelmingly a return to a rigorous process, to an intel-heavy consideration of targets and intense role for the president himself in approving the use of this particular tool," the senior administration official told CNN. The policy now officially reverses a loosening of Obama-era rules under then-President Donald Trump, which had pushed authority for approving lethal strikes down the chain of command. In Syria and Iraq, where the US maintains a military presence, commanders in the field will continue to have more discretion on operational decisions.īiden had quietly put in place many of the limitations that the new policy now formalizes when he took office. counterterrorism operations meet the highest standards of precision and rigor, including for identifying appropriate targets and minimizing civilian casualties." White House Homeland Security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall, who spearheaded the nearly two-year review which led to the new policy, said in a statement that the guidance "directs Administration to be discerning and agile in protecting Americans against evolving global terrorist challenges" and "requires that U.S. The policy also requires operators to obtain permission from the State Department's chief of mission in the country in question, the senior administration official said.
#Drone strike series
It also institutionalizes a series of standards for taking action against a target, including that counterterrorism operators must establish with "near certainty" that there will be no civilian casualties in the strike, and that the target poses a continuing, imminent threat to the United States. The New York Times first reported on the new rules.
The president must also approve which groups in which countries are considered to have potential targets as members. The new policy requires the president's approval before a lethal drone strike or commando raid can be launched on a particular counterterrorism target, according to a senior administration official - and that individual must be named, although the policy does allow the president to waive that and other requirements at his discretion.
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