Drone Strikes: How They Are Done

[Valin]

Big Peace:

The Investigative Project on Terrorism
10/15/10

The Pentagon follows a six-step process that can go as high as the president of the United States before launching an aerial strike against a suspected terrorist target, according to military documents filed in a federal court in Washington.



Those six steps are identifying targets, determining whether they are fully developed as a threat, evaluating whether intelligence supports the targeting, considering whether eliminating the target will further U.S. interests, weighing domestic and international laws to determine what rules apply and concluding with a final action and analysis, according to the briefing document prepared by the Pentagon’s joint staff last November.

According to the Pentagon document, titled “Joint Targeting Cycle and Collateral Damage Estimation Methodology,” while an aerial attack during the Vietnam War would cause collateral damage up to 400 feet from its intended target, that range has been cut to 40 feet now, the report says. That’s because of improved bombs and missiles that carry smaller payloads and have more sophisticated guidance systems.

(Snip)

[Evad]

all I can say is...KEWL!!!