Support NeoGAF

[Spoiled Milk]

From the NYTimes

The Trump administration is preparing to dismantle key Obama-era limits on drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional battlefields, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. The changes would lay the groundwork for possible counterterrorism missions in countries where Islamic militants are active but the United States has not previously tried to kill or capture them.

President Trump’s top national security advisers have proposed relaxing two rules, the officials said. First, the targets of drone strikes and raids, now generally limited to high-level militants deemed to pose a “continuing and imminent threat” to Americans, would be expanded to include foot-soldier jihadists with no unique skills or leadership roles. And second, such proposed strikes by the military and the C.I.A. will no longer undergo high-level vetting.

But administration officials have also agreed that they should keep in place one important constraint for such attacks: a requirement of “near certainty” that no civilian bystanders will be killed.

 

[Earthbound64]

drone strikes and commando raids outside conventional battlefields

That seems a rather important part...
And could be frighteningly broad-reaching...

 

[Spoiled Milk]

That seems a rather important part...

Don't we already do this? In fact when I think of commando raids I usually think of stuff like the bin Laden one.

 

[KernelPanic]

Something something Hillary something warmonger.

 

[andythinkpad]

Droids are very slow, Dotard is not going to totally destroy NK with that.

 

[Izuna]

Does this at least mean that Trump will inherit the drone use criticisms that Obama gets?

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Does this at least mean that Trump will inherit the drone use criticisms that Obama gets?

Drone use criticism came from liberals and libertarians, both of whom Trump enjoys no support from.

 

[sazzy]

I wonder if this is because of NK.

 

[Earthbound64]

Don't we already do this? In fact when I think of commando raids I usually think of stuff like the bin Laden one.

I guess it depends on how broadly it can be applied.
Could be carte blanche to do stuff anywhere at all...

 

[Spoiled Milk]

I wonder if this is because of NK.

It's about ISIS in Somalia and Yemen mostly.

I guess it depends on how broadly it can be applied.
Could be carte blanche to do stuff anywhere at all...

Well, as a famous president once said, the Authorization to use Military Force already gave us that carte blanche.

 

[Inuhanyou]

This is after the congress almost unilaterally passes a 700 billion dollar aid package with 80 billion on top of that. No oversight, no acountability

 

[polyh3dron]

but obama was the evil drone strike president though

 

[Stumpokapow]

Does this at least mean that Trump will inherit the drone use criticisms that Obama gets?

Are you kidding? The guy is one month out of encouraging Americans to commit war crimes because he believes if you kill Muslims with pork they go to ultra hell and two weeks off of a report about how he wants the US to be able to routinely use small nuclear weapons during conflicts -- this wouldn't register among the top ten thousand most egregious disregards for human life people are going to crucify this administration for.

 

[CazTGG]

Thanks Obama

Something something Hillary something warmonger.

 

[Izuna]

Are you kidding?

Yes.


Ultra hell sounds like some Doom episode I don't want to play, however.

Drone use criticism came from liberals and libertarians, both of whom Trump enjoys no support from.

I bet I can find Hannity complaining about it.

I mean, I don't even know it exists, but for some reason, I'm still 100% certain Hannity has shit talked Obama about drones.

edit: boom, that was easy http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2013/02/06/hypocrisy-obama-drone-program.html

 

[ebullientprism]

but obama was the evil drone strike president though

Going from bad to worse doesnt make the bad disappear. Obama killed a fuck ton of innocent people with drone strikes and set the precedent on this.

Even if this shitstain kills more (and he most probably will) it doesnt make what Obama did any less evil.

 

[Volimar]

but obama was the evil drone strike president though

"Hold my beer" - Trump

 

[SlipperyMoose]

Don't we already do this? In fact when I think of commando raids I usually think of stuff like the bin Laden one.

Kind of. This would open up more strikes for foot soldiers and people not nearly as high of a target as Bin Laden. There have been a lot of strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, etc. and the U.S. isn't technically at war in those countries.

I personally think raids/drone strikes should be left to imminent threats and high profile targets. While striking and killing a high priority target may help in the short term it ends up creating more pissed off people in the long term. Imagine is a terrorist was hiding in your neighbors house and New Zealand sent a drone to kill him and your family ends up dying in the collateral damage. A bad person died but also innocent lives. You would probably be pretty pissed/life ruined. It probably wouldn't be that hard to radicalize that person.

 

[Dopus]

So he's now giving the CIA free rein. Ghastly man.

 

[SpiralZilla]

Sure, now they want to relax vetting.