Hagel cancels creation of new drone, cyber medal following widespread criticism

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  FILE: Undated: This image released by the Department of Defense shows the obverse view with ribbon of the newly announced Distinguished Warefare Medal.AP

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Monday cancelled the production of a new military medal for service members involved in drone attacks and cyber warfare -- following widespread criticism that the award would rank higher than the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

Hagel instead wants military leaders to develop a special pin or object that would be attached to already existing medals or ribbons.

The Distinguished Warfare Medal was created by Hagel's predecessor, Leon Panetta, and it immediately triggered complaints from veterans and lawmakers.

Hagel last month ordered the military to stop production of the medal, and top defense and military leaders began a new review.

“While the review confirmed the need to ensure such recognition, it found that misconceptions regarding the precedence of the award were distracting from its original purpose,” said Hagel, who was twice awarded the Purple Heart.

The leaders have instead recommended the creation of an alternative honor, similar to the "V" for valor that can be attached to the Bronze Star and other medals to reward an act of heroism.

Hagel asked Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to report back to him in 30 days.

When Panetta announced the medal would be created in mid-February, defense officials said it would be considered a bit higher in ranking than the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, but lower than the Silver Star.

Panetta said the new medal, for only a small number of service men and women, reflected battlefield contributions in a world of changing warfare. He said that remotely piloted aircraft and cyber systems have changed the way that wars are fought and can change the course of a conflict from afar.

But the Veterans of Foreign Wars and other groups sent a letter to President Obama in March, asking him to keep the medal ranked below the Purple Heart, which is awarded for combat injuries. Critics said the ranking was an injustice to those troops who risked their lives in battle.

“The right decision was made,” the VFW said Monday. “This decision will clearly keep medals that can only be earned in combat in their high order of precedence, while providing proper recognition to all who support our war-fighters regardless of their distance from the fight.”

The American Legion's national commander, James E. Koutz, said Hagel's decision keeps the evolving roles of military combat in proper perspective.

"Cyber and drone warfare have become part of the equation for 21st-century combat, and those who fight such battles with distinction certainly deserve to be recognized," Koutz said in a statement. "But the American Legion still believes there's a fundamental difference between those who fight remotely, or via computer, and those fighting against an enemy who is trying to kill them."

As originally conceived, the blue, red and white-ribboned medal was to be awarded to individuals for "extraordinary achievement" related to a military operation that occurred after Sept. 11, 2001. But it does not require the recipient to risk his or her life to get it.

Over the last decade of war, remotely piloted Predator and Reaper drones have become a critical weapon to gather intelligence and conduct air strikes against terrorists or insurgents around the world. They have been used extensively on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and northern Africa.

Over the same time, cyber attacks have become a growing national security threat, with Panetta and others warning that the next Pearl Harbor could well be a computer-based assault.

The Bronze Star is the fourth-highest combat decoration and rewards meritorious service in battle, while the Silver Star is the third-highest combat award given for bravery. The Purple Heart is ranked just below the Bronze Star.

Several other awards, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, are also ranked higher than the Silver Star, but are not awarded for combat.

In addition to veterans' concerns, there is a practical side to the rankings for currently serving troops. There are grades of medals -- commendation, merit, distinguished -- that affect promotions for those still in uniform. Each grade gives troops a certain number of points needed for promotions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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White House to move drone operations out of CIA, centralize at Pentagon

Published March 20, 2013

FoxNews.com

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  FILE: Jan. 31, 2010: An unmanned U.S. Predator drone flies over Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan.AP

The Obama administration is preparing to transfer the CIA’s lethal drone program to the Defense Department, a senior White House official confirmed Wednesday to Fox News.

The White House and CIA Director John Brennan would like the bulk of the “lethal targeting program” to revert to the Defense Department and for the CIA to return to its primary role of intelligence collection and analysis, as reported first by The Daily Beast.

Though the Defense Department would resume most drone operations, those over Pakistan likely would remain under CIA control in the short term due to sensitivities in the region, the official told Fox News. In addition, the CIA is expected to continue to provide intelligence for targeting attacks, despite no longer operating the unmanned aircraft.

The change appears to be an effort to improve the program’s accountability and transparency at a time when Americans appear increasingly concerned about the largely secretive operations.

Much of the public concern has focused on news that President Obama had hand-picked the human targets -- one victim was Anwar al-Awlaki, a prominent Al Qaeda figure and U.S. citizen -- and secret Justice Department legal opinions authorizing such strikes.

There is no definite time frame for the transition, but it is expected to occur in Obama’s second term.

Brennan was Obama’s chief counter-terrorism adviser until last month and has presided over the drone program for roughly the past four years. He has said he wants the CIA out of such operations and was a driving force behind the change, The Daily Beast reported.

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Appeals court reverses CIA drone secrecy ruling

Published March 15, 2013

Associated Press

WASHINGTON –  A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court ruling which allowed the CIA to refuse to confirm whether it had information on the use of unmanned drones to kill suspected terrorists.

A lower court federal judge had sided with the CIA and dismissed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union seeking those records. In response to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act request, the CIA said that merely confirming the existence of drone records would reveal classified information. But the government subsequently backed off that claim during oral arguments before the appellate court.

Friday's ruling by a three-court panel sends the case back to the lower court, where the agency can argue that the records it has on drones are exempt from FOIA disclosure requirements.

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