Pentagon spy drones flown over US: Report
Iran Press TV
Thu Mar 10, 2016 1:15PM
The US Defense Department has deployed drones several times to spy over American soil for non-military missions over the past decade, according to a new report.
The spy drone missions have occurred fewer than 20 times between 2006 and 2015 and always in compliance with existing law, according to a Pentagon report obtained by USA Today under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Pentagon has publicly posted at least a partial list of the drone missions that have flown in non-military airspace over the United States, USA Today reported on Wednesday.
Use of spy drones over the United States became public in 2013 when former FBI director Robert Mueller testified before Congress that the agency employed spy drones during investigations on rare occasions.
Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said it is good news no legal violations were found, yet the technology is so advanced that it's possible laws may require revision.
'Sometimes, new technology changes so rapidly that existing law no longer fit what people think are appropriate,' Stanley said. 'It's important to remember that the American people do find this to be a very, very sensitive topic.'
The inspector general analysis was completed March 20, 2015, but not released publicly until last Friday.
The analysis found that the Pentagon established interim guidance in 2006 allowed spy drones to be used for homeland defense purposes in the US and to assist civil authorities.
The United States regularly uses drones for airstrikes and spying missions in Afghanistan as well as Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt near the Afghan border. Washington has also been conducting targeted killings through remotely-controlled armed drones in Somalia and Yemen.
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