McCain Renews Push to End CIA Control of Drone Strikes
Senator John McCain renewed an effort to end the CIA’s control over U.S. drone strikes after an attack on an al-Qaeda compound in Pakistan killed two hostages.
Now that drones have become “an integral part” of U.S. military operations, it makes sense for such air strikes to be managed by the nation’s armed services rather than by spy agencies, the Arizona Republican said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.
McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, acknowledged his bias in seeking to give the Defense Department greater control, adding that the military has “the capabilities and the equipment” that the Central Intelligence Agency lacks to conduct effective drone strikes.
The accidental killing of two hostages, one American and one Italian, in a January drone strike was disclosed last week and prompted a review of U.S. policy by the White House. It may also force Congress to revisit an issue that in the past had become a turf battle among lawmakers, with intelligence committees favoring the CIA and defense committees backing the Pentagon.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-26/mccain-renews-push-to-end-cia-control-of-drone-strike-program
