U.S. Should Show Restraint on Drone Strikes

The White House has reportedly ordered the Pentagon to reposition drones for possible retaliatory strikes in Libya -- the latest evidence that drones are dislodging manned aircraft from the central role they have played in U.S. warfighting since World War II.

After a decade of wars that have cost billions of dollars and claimed thousands of American lives, the American people overwhelmingly support this transition to an unmanned air force. After all, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) deliver a lethal punch at low economic cost, with zero risk to American personnel. That explains why 83 percent of the country approves of President Barack Obama’s use of drones. ...