Drone strikes are always done with approval of the countries where they take place, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan told Fox News.
“Drones, the remotely piloted vehicles, [are] a tremendously capable tool to use against the terrorist abroad. It has capability to monitor their activities. It provides a good insight to our intelligence analysts and operators in terms of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It has the capability of carrying out strikes as well,” Brennan said.
“When we’re doing this, we are doing it in full consent and cooperation with our partners internationally. This is something that the president has told us we need to work closely with these partners. And so, in Yemen in particular, these groups, and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in particular, are determined to kill Americans,” Brennan said in the pre-taped segment.
Asked about Brennan’s statements, a White House spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said the counterterrorism adviser “was talking about drones as a tool in the abstract.”
“I think many people have commented on the fact that they allow a level of precision that you cant get with an F16, for example,” Vietor added.