Drones: A Revolution In Warfare

Technology is constantly getting more impressive, but these technologies need to have limits. One popular new technology is the drone. Merriam Webster defines drones as unmanned vehicles guided by remote controls. Advanced drones are used in the military; drones are also used for weather prediction, landscape mapping, and other uses. In the future, drones could make people’s lives easier and safer, but they could also idea because drones can injure people, spy on people, and be used by terrorists and criminals.

Because of the Vietnam War, drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are still used in the modern society. Drones have become more advanced and methodological to provide updated images of particular locations or fly greater distances than an airplane. As P.W. Singer confirmed drones are the most revolutionary change in weapons technology in the history of man and are considered to be equivalent to the invention of the computer according to Bill Gates. Both of these given statements are ascertained through their use not only in war, but also surveillance, agriculture, and the building of the database by scientists for climate change.

The conflict birthed the most innovative program of drone surveillance in the history of flying. According to Shaw (2014) “The Vietnam War was a technologically intensive conflict fought with sophisticated electronic prosthetics”. A Lightning Bug drone used during the Vietnam War was one of the first drones utilized for surveillance by the U.S. Air Force (Shaw, 2014). Around 1964 and 1975, Lightning Bugs flew more than 3,500 battle fights in Vietnam. The automated eyes in the sky were fruitful. Between 1964 and 1975, more than 1,000 Lightning Bugs flew over 34,000 spying assignments over Southeast Asia (Shaw, 2014). The first ever CIA drone attack was a calamity. The organization's Predator unleashed a Hellfire rocket at a "tall man" and his companions close to the city of Khost, trusting the man to be none other than Bin Laden. But the investigators had taken the wrong object. This time, it was innocent civilians collecting scrap metal (Shaw,

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

Kaag and Kreps’s main concerns are that drone technology is not consistent with international laws. The reasons for the author’s beliefs is that drone technology do not adhere the principals that international laws consist of. The authors talk about jus ad bellum – the right of war, also interpreted as the right of retaliation on the basis of self-defense – and how that justification is based on false principals. The other principal that the authors feel is being misused is jus in bello – the justification (or lack thereof) to engage in a war – due to the issues with interpretation that is existent in modern warfare. The authors believe that further preventative measures need to be established to insure that drone warfare adheres to international laws.

The military’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are able to fly in the airspace for up to 17 hours providing Soldiers, Marines, and Sailors on the ground real-time images of the enemy for 24-hours 7 days a week. They were engineered for precision and power in order to eliminate the enemy without the need of endangering friendly forces. The technological advancement of the drone has furthered America’s military agenda in multiple ways for the better, however, hundreds of civilian lives have been caught in the blast zone of these military drones. Today’s society and engineers have deemed the use of drones as morally good, but what makes killing the enemy from a remote, safe location any different than chemical warfare, especially if civilian lives

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.

Drones have been one of the most controversial Military topics in the past ten years. Drones are planes that can be controlled by someone from many miles away. In the past few years, drones have been killing terrorists in the Middle East without putting U.S. military lives in danger. The United States Military should increase use of Drones because they can go places that are unsafe for a human, and save not only a soldier’s life, but also cost less money to manufacture than supplying ground troops and air troops.

It is irrefutable that it is just a matter of time before drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), become a crucial part of the US Military. They effectively weaken terrorist groups, mainly Al Qaeda and ISIS or ISIL, and are much less dangerous to civilians and United States soldiers compared to other methods. Those who are skeptical of the potential role of drones in the US Military are simply ill informed.

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.

In order for The United States of America to hold its superpower status that pushes for liberty and justice throughout the world, drones are required to keep its status. They are the new nuclear arms race of the 21st century. They are an advanced piece of technology comprised of the best technology the United States has to offer. They have become a crucial part of military operations around the world. Their ability to be used in almost any scenario makes them a viable selection for the United States Armed Forces, which makes drones a much needed aspect for the future of warfare. They are used by the United States Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the United States Air Force. With the world advancing ever so fast,

The term “Drone” is a keyword to a touchy subject. There are many different types and uses for these drones though, most of which are beneficial; unfortunately, media sources report on the negatives of drones by publishing headlines like “Drone flies up to White House”, or “Drone strikes kill innocent people”. Although many try to ruin the reputation of drones, the facts and the outlook is good. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are key to the future of many industries and when used right will benefit all.

It is believed that United States Military Drones are one of the most advanced robotic systems in the world today. According to Historynet.com, it is estimated that there are thousands of these drones, or unmanned military vehicles and aerial devices, in the inventory and care of the US Military (Singer, 2011). Drones are mechanisms and technologies that can be used without the use of a human being inside of the robotic system. In most cases these drones are maneuvered from a distance using remote control apparatuses and are much like the GPS systems that a person might use in their car. Drones are watched and manipulated from anywhere in the world.

Nearly the day after 9/11 the government began to test the use the drones in the military almost constantly. The government wanted to make them the best that they could be to win the war against Al Qaeda. By using drones the government knew the war would be much cheaper and less fatalities would occur. Citizens never saw the small unmanned aerial vehicles because they weren't allowed on American soil. In fact many American citizens had no idea that the government used drones for anything at all or some may not even know the word drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (Pae). In 2002, the military started to use drones excessively for missions. Throughout the Middle East there were thousands killed by the used of drones; the military was able to disable terrorists with the use of drones (Cohen and Bowes). This saves many lives in the military, and keeps soldiers out of the area of the war. Following the first use of military drones, in 2003 the government used model drones to fly three thousand kilometers across the Atlantic Ocean only using one gallon of fuel. By the time the government used drones for this purpose they worked on increasing the drones payload, distance, and speed to