Few recent national security developments have been as controversial as the increased US reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more colloquially known as "drones." While UAVs have multiple peaceful and commercial applications, heated debates about the use of lethal UAV strikes away from traditional, territorially bounded battlefields have tended to crowd out a broader and more nuanced discussion of US UAV policy. On May 23, 2013, President Barack Obama acknowledged these debates in a major speech at the National Defense University, promising to continue the difficult task of ensuring that the use of lethal UAVs is both strategically sound and consistent with long-standing US commitments to democracy, accountability and the rule of law. He pledged that his administration would "review proposals to extend oversight of lethal actions outside of war zones that go beyond our reporting to Congress," and noted, "the use of force must be seen as part of a larger discussion we need to have about a comprehensive counterterrorism strategy." In a speech at the US Military Academy (West Point) on May 28, 2014, he reinforced this commitment: "[A]s I said last year, in taking direct action, we must uphold standards that reflect our values. That means taking strikes only when we face a continuing, imminent threat, and only where ... there is near certainty of no civilian casualties, for our actions should meet a simple test: we must not create more enemies than we take off the battlefield. I also believe we must be more transparent about both the basis of our counterterrorism actions and the manner in which they are carried out ... when we cannot explain our efforts clearly and publicly, we face terrorist propaganda and international suspicion, we erode legitimacy with our partners and our people and we reduce accountability in our own government." In an effort to respond to the president's call for constructive new approaches to thinking about UAVs, the Stimson Center created a distinguished 10-member task force on US Drone Policy. Task force members bring rich experience in the military, intelligence, foreign policy and legal communities, and over the past year, the task force has also solicited comments and ideas from dozens of other experts in the technology, human rights and business communities. This report represents a preliminary effort to offer analysis and recommendations that could help shape and guide US UAV policy going forward. It looks at the military and national security benefits of UAV technologies, analyzes our current approaches to UAV development and export, and seeks to contextualize the strategic questions relating to the use of lethal UAVs outside traditional battlefields. Ultimately, it offers eight detailed recommendations for overhauling UAV strategy; improving oversight, accountability and transparency; developing forward-looking international norms relating to the use of lethal force in nontraditional settings; and devising sound UAV export control and research and development policies. UAV technologies are here to stay. Used foolishly, they can endanger our interests, diminish regional and global stability, and undermine our values. Used wisely, they can help advance our national security interests even as we foster a more robust international commitment to the rule of law. We believe this report offers a useful framework for ensuring that we use these new technologies wisely, and we look forward to discussing our recommendations with the administration and the public. [Forward from document- John Abizaid and Rosa Brooks]

http://www.stimson.org/books-reports/recommendations-and-report-of-the-stimson-task-force-on-us-drone-policy/ Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.