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Drones

Whether armed or unarmed, an ongoing debate exists on when unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, should be employed and how their trade and development should move forward. Particularly controversial has been a general lack of transparency in drone use and policy, including in areas outside of active hostilities. Some steps have been taken on these topics, however, with the July 2016 release of an  Executive Order on pre- and post-strike measures to address civilian casualties as well as a short report on strikes and casualties from 2009 to 2015. In August 2016, a drone 'playbook' became public following an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit. The United States led the creation of a joint declaration on drone export and use signed by nearly four dozen countries on October 5. In February 2015, the United States also provided some transparency on how it approaches the transfer of military drones. (Note: research here draws heavily from a study by the Centre for the Study of the Drone at Bard College.) 

Hillary Clinton (Democrat)

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The candidate is expected to support the use of armed drones.
Hillary Clinton has stated that she is prepared to use drones and their capacity for targeted strikes in an effort to combat terrorist threats. In particular, she has specifically mentioned targeting the leadership of ISIS and Baghdadi in all three Presidential Candidate Debates; and while not necessarily saying she would use drones in all instances, such approaches would indicate their likely use. 

No statements have been identified thus far on the transfer of armed drones nor promoting transparency in their use.

Donald Trump (Republican)

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The candidate is expected to support the use of armed drones.
Donald Trump has indicated that he is prepared to use drones and their capacity for targeted strikes in an effort to combat terrorist threats. Trump has also criticised Obama for not using drones in certain cases, and saying that he would not show similar restraint. On multiple occasions, Trump has said that he would "knock the hell out ISIS," which also likely implies the use of armed drones. 

​In a speech in Syracuse. it was reported that Trump indicated a desire to expand the role of drones, but no transcript of that speech has been found. 


No statements have been identified thus far on the transfer of armed drones nor promoting transparency in their use.
​

Note: Donald Trump is also expected to support drones in their surveillance capacity along U.S. borders. 



Hillary Clinton Quotes

October 19, 2016 - Third Presidential Candidate Debate
​ "And, yes, we do need to go after Baghdadi, and -- just like we went after bin Laden, while you were doing "Celebrity Apprentice," and we brought him to justice. We need to go after the leadership."
October 9, 2016 - Second Presidential Candidate Debate
"I would go after Baghdadi. I would specifically target Baghdadi, because I think our targeting of Al Qaida leaders — and I was involved in a lot of those operations, highly classified ones — made a difference. So I think that could help."
September 26, 2016 -  Presidential Candidate Debate
"I would also do everything possible to take out their leadership. I was involved in a number of efforts to take out Al Qaida leadership when I was secretary of state, including, of course, taking out bin Laden. And I think we need to go after Baghdadi, as well, make that one of our organizing principles. Because we've got to defeat ISIS, and we've got to do everything we can to disrupt their propaganda efforts online."
19 November, 2015 - Speech at the Council on Foreign Relations 
"At the end of the day, we must still be prepared to go after terrorists wherever they plot, using all the tools at our disposal ... That includes targeted strikes by U.S. military aircraft and drones, with proper safeguards, when there aren't any other viable options to deal with continuing imminent threats."

Donald Trump Quotes

October 9, 2016 - Second Presidential Candidate Debate
"I will knock the hell out of ISIS. We’re going to defeat ISIS. ISIS happened a number of years ago in a vacuum that was left because of bad judgment. And I will tell you, I will take care of ISIS."
15 April, 2016 - Interview with Syracuse.com
"[Drones] would work in conjunction with the Border Patrol, who are fantastic people who want to do their job, I want surveillance for our borders, and the drone has great capabilities for surveillance."

Note, this article also states, but does not provide direct quotes, indicating:

"Donald Trump said he would order the use of remotely piloted drones for 24-hour surveillance on the U.S. borders if he is elected president." 

"Trump said he would also expand the use of military drones used by the United States in overseas conflicts, such as the MQ-9 Reaper drones operated by the Air National Guard's 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse."
2 December, 2015 - Interview with Fox and Friends
"I would knock the hell out of ISIS… [and] when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families."
First published in 2011 - Time to get tough: Making America #1 Again, as quoted in The Presidential Candidates on Drones
"Right now we ban our forces from using Predator drones inside the city of Miran where the Haqqanis are headquartered." 
"The reason? Obama didn't want to 'offend' the Pakistanis. That's absurd - they're killing our soldiers! We need to get tough, give our troops permission to return fire, and tell Pakistan that we will sever all economic activity with them until they cut ties with the Haqqani network. If the Pakistani intelligence services work with terrorists, we should declare their military a terrorist organization."

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