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President Barack Obama outlined plans on Thursday (May 23) to limit the use of U.S. drone strikes against extremists abroad and took steps aimed at breaking a deadlock on closing the Guantanamo Bay military prison.
In a major foreign policy speech after two weeks of fending off domestic scandals, Obama limited the scope of what his predecessor, George W. Bush, had called a global war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Faced with criticism about the morality of using unmanned aerial vehicles to wage war in distant lands, Obama said the United States will only use drone strikes when a threat is imminent, a nuanced change from the previous policy of launching strikes against a significant threat.
Under a new presidential guidance signed on Wednesday, Obama said the Defense Department will take the lead in launching drones, as opposed to the current practice of the CIA taking charge.
"Any drone strike will only be l