Description
Since the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) war first began, the United States has killed approximately 10 American citizens with armed UAV. Under the Obama Administration, the Department of Justice White Paper delineated the legal framework in which the United States could use lethal force in a foreign country against an American citizen who was considered an imminent threat. Yet the United States’ Constitution allows due process that stipulates that the American government must allow a citizen to be prosecuted and tried by their own legal system. The research question this paper seeks to answer is, “Is the killing of American citizens constitutional and how has this practice been used in the War on Terror?” The paper will explain the process and intelligence cycle of targeted killing, identify and describe the activities of the American citizens that have been killed by their own government, examine legal documents and lastly, will suggest improvements for the American targeted killing process and cycle.
