DRONES Act

Designating Requirements On Notification of Executive-ordered Strikes Act of 2013 or the DRONES Act - Prohibits a federal department or agency or the Armed Forces from deliberately targeting a citizen of the United States or of a strategic treaty ally in a pre-planned lethal operation unless such operation is planned and executed pursuant to a written determination signed personally by the President: (1) confirming the status of the targeted citizen as an enemy combatant, and (2) authorizing the deliberate lethal targeting based on an articulated need for the use of lethal force.

Requires the President, within 30 days after making such a determination, to submit a report to specified congressional committees: (1) certifying that the timing and details of the operation were approved personally by the President, and (2) detailing the information used to determine that the targeted citizen is an enemy combatant and the reasons why lethal force was necessary.

Prohibits this Act from being construed to authorize such lethal targeting of such a citizen inside any location under U.S. jurisdiction.

Prohibits the President, the head of any federal agency, or a general officer or flag officer of the Armed Forces from authorizing the use of cluster munitions: (1) unless the sub-munitions of such munitions, after arming, will not result in more than 1% unexploded ordnance across the range of intended operational environments and the policy applicable to the use of such munitions requires that they will only be used against clearly defined military targets and will not be used in locations where civilian noncombatants are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilian noncombatants; or (2) if such use is reasonably likely to unintentionally harm any citizen of the United States or of a strategic treaty ally (i.e., when any such citizen is known to be within a two-mile radius of the area to be targeted).

Authorizes the President to waive such limitations where vital to protect U.S. security. Requires congressional notification of such waiver. Directs the President, following the use of cluster munitions, to submit a plan for cleaning up any such munitions and sub-munitions that fail to explode.

Prohibits such officials from providing cluster munitions to a foreign nation, agency or armed force unless: (1) such munitions will be used in a combined military operation with the United States, and (2) the use of such munitions complies with this Act.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov