How many drone strikes did the US carry out each year under Biden (2021–2025)?
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Executive summary
Public sources show the Biden administration sharply reduced reported drone and other declared strikes in 2021 compared with prior years — Airwars found declared U.S. strikes fell 54% globally in 2021 [1] — and multiple trackers and outlets describe 2021 as a de‑escalation year with pauses in Yemen, Pakistan, Libya and Somalia [2] [3] [1]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive year‑by‑year tabulation of U.S. drone strikes for 2021–2025, so a precise annual count for each year of the Biden presidency is not found in current reporting.
1. What the public record actually says about 2021: a sharp drop, but not zero
Several reputable monitoring projects and news outlets report a large fall in declared U.S. strikes in Biden’s first year: Airwars concluded declared U.S. strikes fell by 54% globally during 2021 [1], and Foreign Policy, early in the administration, noted a dramatic reduction and reported “no reported strikes” in several theaters (Yemen, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia) in the immediate post‑inauguration period [2]. Business Insider quoted Airwars’ director saying there had been “zero local or official reports of US drone or other strikes” in those countries at that early point [3]. These sources make clear 2021 was a year of pause and policy review, but they do not present a single consolidated, audited strike tally for the year attributed only to Biden [1] [2] [3].
2. Why public tallies are fragmented: definitions, secrecy and “declared” theaters
Different trackers count different things — “drone strikes,” “airstrikes,” “counterterrorism strikes,” or “declared theater” operations — and U.S. reporting regimes have long mixed public disclosures with classified approvals. New America’s tracking noted that strike counts vary by theater (for example, Somalia: 11 strikes in 2021 overall, but only four under Biden that year) and that the administration changed whether countries like Yemen are treated as “declared theaters” in public casualty reporting [4]. The White House also kept classified Presidential Policy Memoranda governing lethal strikes for some time, complicating public accounting [5] [6].
3. Subsequent years (2022–2025): signs of low activity but mixed trends — reporting is partial
Analysts say the “drone wars” remained at a low point compared with past peaks, though not ended: New America reported that strikes in Somalia rose slightly in 2022 compared with 2021, noting 13 strikes in Somalia in 2022 versus the few attributed to Biden in 2021 [4]. Airwars and other monitors describe an administration strategy of restraining strikes while conducting targeted operations “over the horizon” [1] [7]. But none of the provided sources delivers a straightforward, year‑by‑year numeric list of total U.S. drone strikes for 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; available sources do not mention a comprehensive annual breakdown for 2021–2025.
4. Transparency steps and policy changes that affect counts
The Biden administration changed internal rules and — after litigation and reporting — partly declassified a Presidential Policy Memorandum and a counterterrorism strategy, tightening requirements such as a “near certainty” standard that civilians will not be harmed and requiring presidential approval for strikes outside conventional war zones [6] [5]. Those rules likely reduced the number of strikes and increased public scrutiny [6], but the presence of classified elements and the continuation of some special operations mean raw strike numbers remain incompletely visible [5].
5. Discrepancies among trackers and critics: few strikes vs. continued use
Some outlets and commentators emphasize the reduction: Foreign Policy and Airwars highlight a dramatic cutback and pauses in certain theaters [2] [1]. Others underscore that drone strikes continued and that mistakes occurred — notably the August 2021 Kabul strike that the Pentagon later called a “tragic mistake” that killed civilians [7] [8] [9]. Advocacy groups such as the ACLU pressed for disclosure and criticized parts of the policy even after partial declassification [10] [5]. These competing perspectives reflect differing priorities: casualty reduction and restraint versus concerns about continued lethal operations and legal bounds.
6. What can and cannot be concluded from the provided sources
Conclusions supported by the sources: Biden’s first year saw a large, documented fall in declared strikes (54% drop reported by Airwars for 2021) and an initial pause in several countries [1] [2] [3]. The administration tightened rules and disclosed partial guidance in response to litigation and reporting [6] [5] [10]. What cannot be stated from these sources: an exact annual count of U.S. drone strikes for each year 2021–2025 is not available in the supplied material — a precise per‑year numerical table is not found in current reporting (available sources do not mention a full year‑by‑year tally for 2021–2025).
If you want a precise numeric table, I can (A) compile the best available counts from public trackers such as Airwars, New America and the Pentagon (if you provide or allow those datasets), or (B) draft FOIA/litigation steps and key questions to request a definitive annual count from U.S. agencies.