DronesObama wants U.S. to influence debate over global drone rules

President Barack Obama wants the United States to help formulate  global guidelines for the use of drones, especially as other countries, led by China, have begun to invest in their own drone fleets.

The United States began using drones  in Iraq and Afghanistan, but their use has been expanded dramatically by the Obama administration. The National reports that other countries are getting into the game. China’s drone program has grown exponentially and the Chinese government even considered using a drone to hunt down and kill a suspect in the killing of thirteen Chinese sailors two years ago.

According to James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia and several other countries have unarmed reconnaissance drones, while China says it has an armed drone but “we don’t know if it works.”

“People say what’s going to happen when the Chinese and the Russians get this technology? The president is well aware of those concerns and wants to set the standard for the international community on these tools,” Tommy Vietor, a former White House spokesman told theNational.

Although Obama wants to make this a global debate, the White House has kept statistics and targets of drone attacks out of the public eye for years. This is beginning to change owing to an increase in public pressure as well as congressional worries over the nation’s drone program.

U.S. lawmakers are now demanding that the White House offer justification for targeting U.S. citizens abroad, as well as Obama’s thoughts on his authority to use drones to kill Americans on U.S. soil.

Last Friday, a federal appeals court ruled that the CIA gave an insufficient response to a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union requesting records on drone strikes. According to the CIA, it could not confirm or deny whether it had the information due to security concerns.

Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, told theNational that the administration is committed to giving as much information as possible to Congress on its drone strikes, including how the decision to attack is made.

“We are constantly working to refine, clarify, and strengthen the process for considering terrorist targets for lethal action,” Hayden said.

The administration recognizes “we are establishing standards other nations may follow,” Hayden added.