Obama Drones Speech: President Defines New Face of Terrorism

Impact

President Obama outlined the new realities of terror facing the U.S. today to the National Defense University. He described the new threats as self-radicalized, homegrown, or factious state-specific groups all of whom are unable to carry out conventional military-style assaults but are more nebulous and harder to predict.

The key elements of his speech detailed his arguments for the use of drones for "precision targeting" terrorists and avoiding the bigger scale of casualties and diplomatic tensions that come with war.

He also laid guidelines for the closure of Guantanamo and guarantee for each prisoner to receive his day in court.