Delays In Effort To Refocus C.I.A. From Drone War -- New York Times
WASHINGTON — In the skies above Yemen, the Pentagon’s armed drones have stopped flying, a result of the ban on American military drone strikes imposed by the government there after a number of botched operations in recent years killed Yemeni civilians. But the Central Intelligence Agency’s drone war in Yemen continues.
In Pakistan, the C.I.A. remains in charge of drone operations, and may continue to be long after American troops have left Afghanistan.
And in Jordan, it is the C.I.A. rather than the Pentagon that is running a program to arm and train Syrian rebels — a concession to the Jordanian government, which will not allow an overt military presence in the country.
Just over a year ago John O. Brennan, the C.I.A.’s newly nominated director, said at his confirmation hearing that it was time to refocus an agency that had become largely a paramilitary organization after the Sept. 11 attacks toward more traditional roles carrying out espionage, intelligence collection and analysis. And in a speech last May in which he sought to redefine American policy toward terrorism, President Obama expanded on that theme, announcing new procedures for drone operations, which White House officials said would gradually become the responsibility of the Pentagon.
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My Comment: The CIA has evolved in the past decade to become a very effective tool in conducting targeted assassinations of terror leaders and commanders. To stop these operations and have them transferred elsewhere may look good on paper .... but (if the reports are to be believed) these alternative options have not conducted themselves as well as it was hoped for. On top of everything else ... other countries may not respond well to seeing an overt and obvious U.S. military presence on their soil. The CIA's secrecy and ability to conduct covert operations is more appetizing .... and definitely politically more acceptable (unless their cover and secrecy is blown).
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