Drone strike program needs oversight.

As a retired military man who spent 20 years in the Air Force, I have no problem with drone strikes. The way I see it, a drone strike simply takes the pilot out of harm's way. But what do I have trouble with is the complete lack of oversight. Well, that's not true, either. Let me explain.

I have been in several briefings where I was one of several people sitting around a table as some Colonel or General came into the room and gave us a target to hit. Yes, figure out a way to get a plane or several planes into enemy airspace and to bomb the target, destroying it. Now, this isn't quite the same thing, but it's not the difference between apples and oranges either. No one ever asked us to ensure no collateral damage was done. But we never targeted an individual, either. Or at least I was never in a group that did target just an individuals. It was the our job to figure out the best way to get rid of a target, making it unable to be used against us, with as little death to innocents or our own people as possible. Then, our recommendations were given to our supervisors, who gave them to their supervisors. So there were always layers of people above us who ensured that we did our very best to ensure that happens. And I have no doubt that this is still happening. So, in a way, there is still oversight.

But war has changed in the nearly 20 years since I got out of the military. Do we, the American people, know where all the drone strikes are being done now? No, but 20 years ago, 70 years ago, and 95 years ago, did we know what city and block was being attacked as it happened? Of course not. But we knew what was general happening and why. We still know why, but do we know what? Really, that's the question. If we don't know, does anybody in the Congress? If not, someone needs to know. And they need to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken to ensure the right targets were being hit, and with as little unnecessary collateral damage. But even if this being done in the military, I trust no military command, or administration, to always make the right call on the target.

I have no problem with drone strikes. But drone strikes, like any military action, with no oversight will over time be abused. That's why any secret military plan, that is one with no oversight, is a bad idea, one just waiting for mistakes to be made, and innocent and needless lives lost. That's why the drone strike program  needs to be generally brought into the light and have at minimum Congressional oversight if it is going to continue. And yes, it does need to continue.