Military Drones: The Weapon of Choice George Servidad South University May 29, 2016 Drones, the US choice of weapon to combat ISIS. It is automated, unpiloted, and work on their own. They do surveillance, hunt, identify and kill enemies based on calculations made by the software, not decisions made by humans. They kill from a distance through technological mediation, without the shock of direct confrontation. Boyle (2013) states that drones operate with a reduce view of effectiveness. They kill innocent people including women and children, and drones do not see anybody down there and it kills everybody. But in reality, drone strikes are efficient because they cause fewer civilian casualties than air strikes or ground operations. According to Hastings (2012) he found out that drones was a good source to use against terrorists, it has supported and benefited the US military. Once a drone reaches its destination it hovers silently in an extensive radius for hours, with an altitude of up to 50,000 feet, providing a survey and a flow of detailed reconnaissance photos. With the use of its Geographic Information System (GIS) applications, McNeil (2014) who has developed a mapping geocode software to pinpoint the location based on information and analysis. This software system is installed in a drone and the GIS is designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all geographical data. This technology is less expensive than the current procedures
Drones are a better alternative to traditional methods of war because they kill less civilians, are legal under international law, and also that they do not create more terrorists than they kill. These facts will prove that older methods of war such as mortars, and bombs pale in comparison to the drone and the effect they have and will continue to have in the war on terror.
Drone Warfare; Summary and Overview This essay consists of a thorough analysis and overview on the book titled Drone Warfare by John Kaag and Sarah Kreps. Drone Warfare covers the political, juridical, and ethical aspects of remotely piloted aircrafts known as drones. The book touches on the political ramifications that the United States’ drone program causes and the general public’s opinion on drones. Drone Warfare also talks about the relationship between the drone program and international laws.
In recent years, drones have begun to do jobs that we didn’t think was possible. Soon, you may find a drone in front of your home, carrying the pepperoni pizza you ordered 20 minutes ago, or see drones putting out a fire in your neighborhood. Now, drones are being used as soldiers in our war against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, these drones have caused many problems for the U.S. over the years. The use of drones fighting for us causes more problems than actually fixing them (Source A)
Since the events of 9/11, drone strikes have become a tool for the United States as it fights a global war against terrorist organizations. The advantages and disadvantages of this particular counterterrorism option continue to be debated. Instead of sending in warfighters to achieve specific objectives, many argue that unmanned combat aerial vehicles provide the U.S. military and government with low-risk and low-cost options as it engages in military operations in other regions of the world. Compared with manned fighter aircraft, some of these unmanned vehicles are able to fly longer without stopping, which affords the U.S. with better intelligence collection and targeting opportunities. Even if the aircraft were shot down, there is not
Top counterterrorist advisors from both the Bush and Obama administrations champion drone use as the most effective tool in the war on terror. They are relatively cheap, effective at killing terrorist with minimal civilian casualties. They protect US troops by preventing “boots on the ground” scenarios and ultimately make America safer. Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is quoted as say, “the only game in town in terms of trying to disrupt the al Qaeda leadership” An important question to ask is: Are these short term advantages worth the long term repercussions. Michael J Boyle examines this question in, “The Cost and Consequences of Drone Warfare.” He first question the validity of the claim that drones are effective at killing
Picture your dearest family member out in the battlefield, struggling for dear life. Only being supported by a jug of water and a rifle until a drone appears with medical supplies or reinforcements. Every year technology advances at an increasingly hypersonic pace. The world has gone from the use of bulky telephones to six-inch touch screens. Soon the world will come from using innocent lives to fight for our country to the use of drones in warfare. Thousands of lives each year are cast away in order to protect our country. Drones could be the answer to finding terrorists in Pakistan or Yemen and stop them before they attack. The United States should continue the use of drones in warfare.
The Research paper project was very interesting and educational. I learned so much about my topic, and learned how to be a better writer. The topic I chose had a lot of details and so much information about it. Researching drones were fun and fascinating.
Whereas the U.S. Air Force just submitted a budget request in December for a $3-billion dollar expansion of the drone program. (Hennigan, 2015) Indicators point toward lawmakers, politicians and military leaders moving toward the use of drones to fight future conflicts, over the use of ground troops. However, with any new technology or instrument of war, it is important for leaders to analyze and question, how should a certain weapon or tool be used and is it the right tool for every
While the debate over the use of drones for counterterrorism efforts has intensified, the arguments, both for and against their usage, although informed by plausible logics, are supported primarily by anecdotal evidence and not by systematic empirical investigation. This lack of attention is unfortunate: unmanned aerial vehicles, and
The war on terror is a never-ending battle. The United States has been in many wars since the day our country was founded. There has been an estimated 651,008 deaths in war battle, 1.2 million deaths during war. An estimated 42 million service men and women have joined the armed forces in protecting our country (Science Line). Every day our state and policy makers are finding new ways to protect the 42 million service men and women. In the early 1990s’ the U.S created the Predator Program (Woods). This program allows air force men and women to fly unoccupied aircrafts in remote locations for intelligence gathering as well as executing high profile terrorist networks. This program protects thousands of service
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States has engaged in the global war against terrorism. One of the ways that the United States has engaged in this war is through drone strikes. Drones, otherwise less commonly known as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) or RPAs (Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems) are the subject of debate all around the globe. They were pioneered by former president George W. Bush and became more popular by the use of former president Barack Obama. Drone strikes are most frequently performed in the Middle East and in South Asia. There are many reasons for controversy on the use of the weapon. One of the reasons that it is so controversial as a weapon is that many are unsure as to if the pros of its
Eleven years ago, the United States Air Force launched a missile from a drone for the first time at a test range in the Nevada desert (Drone Test) . The use of armed drones has risen dramatically since 2009. Now drone strikes are almost a daily occurrence. In 2011 the use of drones continued to rise with strikes in (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia. Proponents of armed drones argue that their ability to watch and wait, with their highly accurate sensors and cameras gives increased control over when and where to strike its both increasing the chances of success and
Though military personnel lives are safer with the presence of drones, many who oppose military drones claim that they have increased the death of civilians and do not create safer environments for civilians (Terrill 22). However, drones have been proved to decrease the deaths of civilians due to the technology that allows them to pinpoint their target and strike at that specific target rather than bomb an area that the target is in. For example, in Yemen where many drone strikes have occurred, “civilian death figures… are ‘in the single digits’” (Terrill 22). Drones are claimed to have less collateral damage than the collateral damage caused by manned aerial vehicles. “They strike quickly, and the missile can be diverted from its original target in an unintentional miss” (Hazelton 30). In the drone strikes in Yemen, even President Hadi admits that there are accidental civilian deaths (Terrill 22). But whether ground troops are used, whether manned aerial vehicles are used, or whether drones are used, there will always be a possibility for collateral damage and civilian deaths. However, President Hadi also admits that “Yemen’s air force cannot bomb accurately at night, but US drones do not have any problems doing so” (Terrill 22).
Drones are wartime weapons the United States government uses to fight the War on Terror. Officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles, this type of aircraft plays a vital role in protecting the United States, as well as many other countries around the world. Although there are multiple drones owned by the United States government, the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1B Predator drones are the most predominantly used drones; General Atomics Aeronautical Systems manufacture both aircrafts.
Human history has evolved around different conflicts among civilizations during different periods. War has become a means to defend a nation’s integrity, to fight injustice and inhumane practices or ideals, and it cannot be denied that sometimes war also brings economical benefits by pushing economies. However, wars bring casualties not only to the military involve but also civilian casualties derived from the conflicts. Therefore nations have been trying to minimize human casualties in order to somehow simplify war and continuously invest in better equipment for the soldiers and the civilians in and near the war zones. Although the last war experience the world had was the conflict between the USA and allies and the military of Iraq, due to the late terrorists acts in different sectors of the world it can be seen that war is against terrorism and not among different nations. It has been this global threat what it is