In a major speech this week, President Obama addressed growing moral concerns about America’s use of weaponized drones in the war against terror. He announced new guidelines to provide more transparency and oversight for drone strikes and a new standard for when they are deployed. Admitting that he is haunted by civilians who have been killed in drone attacks against al Qaeda terrorists, the president said, nonetheless, he believes drone use is moral:

President Obama: “We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war, a war waged proportionally, in last resort and in self-defense.”

On Wednesday (May 22), the administration acknowledged for the first time that it had killed four Americans in drone strikes, although it said only one of them, radical Muslim cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki, was specifically targeted. Growing numbers of ethicists and religious leaders have been raising concerns about the US drone attacks.

This week, Bishop Richard Pates, chair of the Catholic bishops’ committee on international peace and justice, wrote to government leaders urging more discussion and scrutiny. He said targeted killings by drones raise “serious moral questions.”

In his speech, the president also renewed his pledge to try to close the Guantanamo Bay detention Center. In recent weeks, some faith-based groups have been ramping up protests in support of Guantanamo detainees who are on hunger strikes.