The Biden administration has ordered temporary restrictions on drone attacks outside war zones, reversing a Trump-era policy as President Biden “assesses legal and policy frameworks governing these matters,” the National Security Council told Fox News.
National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement to Fox News that the president at the beginning of the Biden administration “has established new interim leadership regarding the use of US military force and related national security operations.”
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“The purpose of the interim leadership is to ensure that the President has full insight into proposed important actions in these areas, while the staff of the National Security Council conducts a thorough investigation into the existing authority and delegations of presidential authorities with regard to these matters, “Horne said. said.
Horne told Fox News that Biden’s review is “now underway and will include an investigation into the legal and policy frameworks governing these matters.”
“This review includes an examination of previous approaches in the context of evolving counter-terrorism threats to refine our approach going forward. In addition, the review will seek to ensure appropriate transparency measures,” Horne said.
Horne noted that it would be “premature to expect specific recommendations to emerge from this NSC-led interpersonal process.”
“We are committed to consulting with Congress on these issues in a dual way,” she said.
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The New York Times first reported that the government had imposed temporary restrictions on drone strikes on terrorists outside war zones in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.
The Washington Post reported that the restriction was introduced on January 20, Biden’s inauguration day, by Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser.
Under the guidelines, the Post reported that the military and the CIA must first see White House approval before attempting missions on suspects in locations where the U.S. military has a limited number of troops.
During the Trump administration, the military did not need the approval, but needed the OK of the U.S. ambassador with oversight of the country in question.