Using drones: principles, tactics and results (amended title)

[davidbfpo]

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:

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.

[davidbfpo]

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

[davidbfpo]

An Opn Democracy article, which has useful pointers to two research reports (both British) and ends with:

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/

[davidbfpo]

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

[davidbfpo]

A short Canadian article 'One year on, drone attacks against ISIS increasing; But how effective are they against Islamic State?', which assembles a number of acadamic authors to comment:http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/one-yea...ing-1.3182002?