Controversial Drone Program To Shift To Pentagon

05:03

March 21, 2013

An unmanned U.S. Predator drone flies over Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan, on a moon-lit night, Jan. 31, 2010. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

President Barack Obama is expected to sign on to a plan to shift command of the CIA's controversial drone strike program to the Pentagon.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the shift is intended to subject the secretive drone program, which has been used to kill militants abroad, to international laws.

And the change could mean that countries where drone strikes occur, such as Pakistan, could have a say in their use.

But it doesn't mean the program will suddenly become transparent.

"Human rights groups like Human Rights Watch have advocated a shift over to the military, for the argument that the military has this chain of command that doesn't exist under the CIA program," Wall Street Journal correspondent Adam Entous told Here & Now's Robin Young. "So I think it would be viewed as a partial step towards greater openness, greater transparency. But at this point, I'm not sure how transparent it actually will be, because of concerns that the disclosures will tip off potential targets."

Members of Congress are divided on the change.

Wall Street Journal: U.S. to Shift Drone Command
Washington Post: Secret report raises alarms on intelligence blind spots because of AQ focus

Guest:

Adam Entous, national security correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. He tweets @adamentous.

This segment aired on March 21, 2013.

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