Thousands of drones could be routinely flying over the United States within the next 10 years. They can help with law enforcement and border control, but they also raise questions about invasion of privacy. Most Americans have gotten used to regular news reports about military and CIA drones attacking terrorist suspects – including US citizens – in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere abroad. They are robots in the sky and some say they
are revolutionizing the way the United States wages wars. Drones are playing a
growing role in the U.S. military.
It is estimated that there are 10,000
unmanned aerial vehicles in the U.S. military's arsenal, in addition to an
undisclosed number operated by the CIA - including one that recently killed Abu
Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaida's number two leader.
Pakistan objects to the
use of drones over its territory. But U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has
given no indication Washington will stop using them against
terrorists. "We made it clear to the Pakistanis that United States of
America is going to defend ourselves against those that would attack us, and we
have done just that, we have gone after their leadership and we have done it
effectively," said Panetta. Drones are relatively cheap to operate.
Their strikes are precise. And they entail no risk to the pilots who operate
them from U.S. bases thousands of kilometers away. At a time of
shrinking budgets and growing war fatigue among the American public, the Obama
administration has made unmanned aerial vehicles a central component of its new
defense strategy. Michele Flournoy is a former top Pentagon official and
an architect of that strategy. "The whole realm of unmanned systems is
going to revolutionize the force over time," said Flournoy. "We are still in the
process of understanding what those systems bring in terms of new ways of
operating, new ways of working as a military." By some accounts, that
revolution is happening now. UAVs' effectiveness and their small footprint are
quickly making them the Obama administration's weapon of choice for U.S.
military and intelligence operations. John Brennan is President Obama's
chief counterterrorism adviser: "It is hard to imagine a tool that can
better minimize the risk to civilians than remotely piloted aircraft," Brennan
said. But anti-drone protesters say drones are not risk free and the
deaths of bystanders in Pakistan and elsewhere go largely
unreported. Medea Benjamin fears that Americans could become desensitized
to war.
"The biggest ethical problem with drones is that it makes
killing too easy," said Benjamin. For U.S. leaders, armed drones have
proven their worth and are the way of the future. Activists want a moratorium
until laws catch up with the technology in order to keep it in check.
Also The Drones Is Expeded Too Be At The 2012 Olympics. Between
July 27 through August 12, 2012 in London. Coming soon: Bigger drones
The FAA has decided to allow larger drones to fly in U.S. airspace
Public safety agencies are cleared to fly small drones under 25 pounds.
Public safety agencies can now get expedited permission to fly drones
weighing up to 25 pounds in U.S. airspace, according to new rules approved Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration. The size of the craft was the most significant change made by the FAA in
responding to a congressional mandate to integrate unmanned aviation vehicles
into domestic airspace. In February, Congress passed legislation calling on the
FAA to expedite approval for law enforcement and first responder agencies that
want to use drones smaller than 4.4 pounds. FAA officials decided to boost the size of the largest permissible public safety drone after meeting with federal, state and local law enforcement
representatives, a spokesman said. The officials “determined that small unmanned
aircraft systems under 25 pounds would be the most cost-effective, easiest to
manage and overall most appropriate to carry out the various first responder
missions.” More Here: http://www.salon.com/2012/05/15/faa_approves_bigger_drones/
are revolutionizing the way the United States wages wars. Drones are playing a
growing role in the U.S. military.
It is estimated that there are 10,000
unmanned aerial vehicles in the U.S. military's arsenal, in addition to an
undisclosed number operated by the CIA - including one that recently killed Abu
Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaida's number two leader.
Pakistan objects to the
use of drones over its territory. But U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has
given no indication Washington will stop using them against
terrorists. "We made it clear to the Pakistanis that United States of
America is going to defend ourselves against those that would attack us, and we
have done just that, we have gone after their leadership and we have done it
effectively," said Panetta. Drones are relatively cheap to operate.
Their strikes are precise. And they entail no risk to the pilots who operate
them from U.S. bases thousands of kilometers away. At a time of
shrinking budgets and growing war fatigue among the American public, the Obama
administration has made unmanned aerial vehicles a central component of its new
defense strategy. Michele Flournoy is a former top Pentagon official and
an architect of that strategy. "The whole realm of unmanned systems is
going to revolutionize the force over time," said Flournoy. "We are still in the
process of understanding what those systems bring in terms of new ways of
operating, new ways of working as a military." By some accounts, that
revolution is happening now. UAVs' effectiveness and their small footprint are
quickly making them the Obama administration's weapon of choice for U.S.
military and intelligence operations. John Brennan is President Obama's
chief counterterrorism adviser: "It is hard to imagine a tool that can
better minimize the risk to civilians than remotely piloted aircraft," Brennan
said. But anti-drone protesters say drones are not risk free and the
deaths of bystanders in Pakistan and elsewhere go largely
unreported. Medea Benjamin fears that Americans could become desensitized
to war.
"The biggest ethical problem with drones is that it makes
killing too easy," said Benjamin. For U.S. leaders, armed drones have
proven their worth and are the way of the future. Activists want a moratorium
until laws catch up with the technology in order to keep it in check.
Also The Drones Is Expeded Too Be At The 2012 Olympics. Between
July 27 through August 12, 2012 in London. Coming soon: Bigger drones
The FAA has decided to allow larger drones to fly in U.S. airspace
Public safety agencies are cleared to fly small drones under 25 pounds.
Public safety agencies can now get expedited permission to fly drones
weighing up to 25 pounds in U.S. airspace, according to new rules approved Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration. The size of the craft was the most significant change made by the FAA in
responding to a congressional mandate to integrate unmanned aviation vehicles
into domestic airspace. In February, Congress passed legislation calling on the
FAA to expedite approval for law enforcement and first responder agencies that
want to use drones smaller than 4.4 pounds. FAA officials decided to boost the size of the largest permissible public safety drone after meeting with federal, state and local law enforcement
representatives, a spokesman said. The officials “determined that small unmanned
aircraft systems under 25 pounds would be the most cost-effective, easiest to
manage and overall most appropriate to carry out the various first responder
missions.” More Here: http://www.salon.com/2012/05/15/faa_approves_bigger_drones/
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