Military Drones

After watching the documentary in class last Monday I found myself particularly interested in the section concerning the militaries use of predator drones. The remote controlled planes can fly several miles overhead to conduct twenty four hour surveillance or carry out airstrikes. I was surprised to hear the the use of these drones had increased under the Obama administration. I found an article on CBS.com (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/12/politics/main6201484.shtml) that partially explained the increased use of the drones.  

The first relevant and successful use of the drones during the new administration came when Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an airstrike. In the following months the use of drone airstrikes increased substantially in an attempt to eliminate more terrorist targets. “Intelligence officials and analysts say the drawdown of troops in an increasingly stable Iraq is part of the reason for the increase in drone strikes. The military once relied on drones for around-the-clock surveillance to flush out insurgents, support troops in battle and help avoid roadside bombs.” These drones are another example of how technological advancements are changing modern day society.

The article also went on to explain how the majority of Pakistani officials object to the United States increased use of drone attacks. Pakistan provides important counterterrorist intelligence with the U.S. and would like to have a greater amount of input on how and when the airstrikes are being carried out. In my opinion this is one of two major issues that will have to be addressed in the future pertaining to this new technology. Drones allow for relatively undetectable attacks, how will the U.S. government use this technology in cooperation with other governments like the one in Pakistan? Pakistan wants greater control over these attacks, I found it interesting that the people of Pakistan view the United States as cowards for using this technology as opposed to fighting with manned aircrafts. 

The other major issue with these remote controlled planes has to do with who is controlling them. Pilots can essentially “drive to war” every morning. These planes are controlled from half way across the globe which creates a new psychological component to war that has never existed. These pilots drive to and from a military base everyday but are operating in combat situations as well. This detachment creates a unique situation. The pilots of the planes do not physically see the consequences of their actions. After flying armed planes and bombing buildings that kill unknown numbers of people these men and women return home to their families who cannot possibly understand the emotional toll the this line of work is accompanied by. I came across one article in which a drone pilot talked about coming home from the military base to find his son playing a combat video game. He said that the video game looked like what he did at the base everyday. This is a scary situation and in my opinion it verifies the decision to shut down military recruiting sites that used video game simulations to expose children to the possibility of enlisting.