Obama's Drone War: the unblinking stare
Steve Coll has a long article in the New Yorker on drones, using only Pakistan as the setting; with some new insights and brings the US aspects up to date IMHO:http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...blinking-stare
There is a longstanding main thread Using drones: principles, tactics and results (with 60k views), into which this will be merged one day:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=7385
An Israeli drone commander talks
The life of a drone operator has been documented before, this story is unique I think, the full title is 'Israeli drone commander: 'The life and death decisions I took in Gaza':http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...k-in-Gaza.html
The report ends with:
Quote:
Today, 65 per cent of Israel's military air operations are conducted by drones. Major Yair represents the future of warfare - and the dilemmas he faces will be those of coming generations of warriors.
No evidence that drones contribute to a more secure border
Quote:
A new U.S. government audit is questioning the value of using drones to conduct surveillance along the Canadian and Mexican borders.The report from the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Defense found that the drones were not only costly, but were grounded much of the time.
“We see no evidence that the drones contribute to a more secure border, and there is no reason to invest addition taxpayer funds at this time,” Inspector General John Roth said in a statement this week.
The inspector general found “little or no evidence” that the fleet of Predator drones was effective in conducting surveillance.
Link:http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/st...ml?id=10716402
I don't suppose the enthusiasm of the *drones can walk on water" school and salesmen will abate one drop:rolleyes:
Learning the lessons: 11 years of drones in Pakistan
An Opn Democracy article, which has useful pointers to two research reports (both British) and ends with:
Quote:
The case of Pakistan, after a decade long drone war, shows how the appeal of drones as a “cost free” form of warfare is misguided, failing to take into consideration their long term implications. In Pakistan, drones have not only been an ineffective counter-terrorism strategy but they have also had far reaching, negative repercussions on wider society. It is these long term consequences – in many cases still largely unknown – that will prove to be the most damaging for any long-term, sustainable resolution to conflict.
Link:https://www.opendemocracy.net/esther...es-in-pakistan
The second blog article on a UK military-leaning blogsite is hardly critical and is a useful summary:http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2015/0...war-on-terror/
Drones: an insider speaks
Quote:
At a recent conference in Boston, I got the extraordinary opportunity to talk with Lt. General David Deptula USAF (Ret.), the man who led the air campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the decisive opening months of Operation Enduring Freedom and subsequently served as the first Chief of the Air Force Headquarters’ Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance mission. Deptula has a unique insider’s perspective on the drone campaign as he was in charge of much of it since this new remote sensor-shooter technology made its debut above the battlefields under his command.
Link to interview (in a PDF):http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/...e/view/428/849
Nanotechnology, Drones, and 3D Printing: The Future of Soldier Efficiencies in 2025
Nanotechnology, Drones, and 3D Printing: The Future of Soldier Efficiencies in 2025
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Drones and Airpower: A Lack of Deterrence in Unconventional Warfare?
Drones and Airpower: A Lack of Deterrence in Unconventional Warfare?
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
The Political Effects of UAVs on Conflict and Cooperation within and between States
The report on a day conference in the UK:
Quote:
The Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security @ Birmingham University) has published a report of a conference held at the Royal Aeronautical Society on 12 June 2015, which brought together experts from academia, policy, and industry, to discuss the interim findings of a research project on 'The Political Effects of UAVs on Conflict and Cooperation within and between States.'
The project involves ongoing comparative research in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen to explore how the use and perception of drones shape the propensities for conflict and cooperation within and between states, with a particular focus on the complexities of drone use in politically highly unstable environments.
The research challenges the dominant narrative on UAVs and will contribute to understanding the impact of drone use abroad. The aim of the event was to engage with stakeholders in order to develop and refine the conclusions of the research and highlight key areas for further examination.
Link to (unread) report download:http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research...s-of-uavs.aspx
Coming to Grips with Thinking about Drones
Coming to Grips with Thinking about Drones
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Drones versus their Critics: A Victory for President Obama’s War Powers Legacy?
Drones versus their Critics: A Victory for President Obama’s War Powers Legacy?
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
The Details of Drones, From a Pilot Who Flew Them
The Details of Drones, From a Pilot Who Flew Them
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Armed drones are spreading fast, and our ethics are not keeping up
An Australian viewpoint from the Lowy Instititute this week:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...eping-up.aspx?
It contains a video:
Quote:
...by science fiction author Daniel Suarez (embedded above) transverses some of the issues that lethal autonomy creates.
Last week:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...s-unknown.aspx
Drones are a game changer in the wrong hands
Quote:
Commercially available drones have the potential to be converted into flying bombs capable of hitting targets such as nuclear power stations or the prime minister’s car, a report by a security thinktank has warned.
The report, The Hostile Use of Drones by Non-State Actors Against British Targets, highlights concerns that “drones will be used as simple, affordable and effective airborne improvised explosive devices”.
Targeting American Terrorists with Drones: Efficient, But Legal?
Targeting American Terrorists with Drones: Efficient, But Legal?
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
A Fast-Growing Club: Countries that Use Drones for Killing
A Fast-Growing Club: Countries that Use Drones for Killing
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
The ‘Palestinian Idol’ that Hacked Into Israel’s Drones
The ‘Palestinian Idol’ that Hacked Into Israel’s Drones
Entry Excerpt:
--------
Read the full post and make any comments at the SWJ Blog.
This forum is a feed only and is closed to user comments.
Game of Drones: a review and an interview
A new film on drones, 'Eye in the Sky' is about to be released here and WoTR's reviewer, Professor MLR Smith writes:
Quote:
.....we have the first concentrated cinematic dissection of the acute moral and political dilemmas that drone warfare generates. Part of the film’s novelty is that the action takes place over the course of a few hours in a day....(later)...perhaps the most powerful and intelligent of films of the post-9/11 epoch.
Link:http://warontherocks.com/2016/04/gam...ye-in-the-sky/
The director, Gavin Hood, has been interviewed by the Drone Center @ Bard College (NY State):
Quote:
The film, which stars Helen Mirren, Alan Richman, Aaron Paul, and Barkhad Abdi, centers on the decision-making process known as the “kill chain” in a counterterrorism operation, and raises questions about the consequences of drone strikes, as well as the the moral, ethical and strategic dimensions of the targeted killing program. We spoke with Gavin about what he sought to achieve with the film.
Link:http://dronecenter.bard.edu/interview-gavin-hood/
