United States National Security Council - Kill Authorizations

Kill Authorizations

A secret National Security Council panel may pursue the killing of an individual who has been called a suspected terrorist. In this case, no public record of this decision or any operation to kill the suspect will be made available. No laws govern criteria for killing such suspects, nor mandate the existence of the panel.

National Security advisor John O. Brennan, who has helped codify targeted killing criteria by creating the Disposition Matrix database, has described the Obama Administration targeted killing policy by stating that "in order to ensure that our counterterrorism operations involving the use of lethal force are legal, ethical, and wise, President Obama has demanded that we hold ourselves to the highest possible standards and processes."

It is unknown who has been placed on the kill list; Mark Hosenball, a Reuters reporter, alleges Anwar al-Awlaki was on the list.