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> ...these UAVs make the world a lot safer. Except that there are other UAV's that launch missiles and kill people in response to incomplete intelligence. Miss
by crispyambulance 7y ago
> ...these UAVs make the world a lot safer.
Except that there are other UAV's that launch missiles and kill people in response to incomplete intelligence. Missiles or not, taking people out of the line of fire through use of robotics also lowers the threshold for non-diplomatic responses and provocations and creates a "slippery-slope" effect for involving military.
There are consequences to this. Drone warfare during the Obama administration has been cited as an accelerant for radicalization. Drones promote the impression that the US isn't willing to "put skin in the game" by sending real pilots. Some have leveraged this into a message that the US is cowardly and all that is needed is to stand up to the drones because they're not going send soldiers when the time comes. Regardless of whether that's true or not, it creates a more dangerous situation for everyone involved.
- igravious 7y agoVery good points. On balance I'm not so sure now.
- nyolfen 7y agothere are just as many people involved in shooting missiles from drones as from manned craft
- brokenmachine 7y ago"Skin in the game" was clearly meant to imply people who were in the line of fire, not 9-5ers in Washington manning their xbox controllers.
- nyolfen 7y agonobody but targets are in the line of fire when americans blow up villages in waziristan or whatever
- crispyambulance 7y agoYou're right about that. Ironically, however, drone operators seem to suffer disproportionately from PTSD. Firing missiles at people while sitting in a 9-5 cubicle, and probably tasked with keeping up "KPI's", I imagine, violates any sane person's sense of morality to the core. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/magazine/veterans-ptsd-drone-warrior-wounds.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/magazine/veterans-ptsd-dr...
- brokenmachine 7y agoMaybe they should think about finding a job that aligns with their morals better. It's hard for me to feel that sorry for people who later feel bad after being willing participants in killing people despite what must be their own morals against it. Having said that I don't want anyone to suffer PTSD, but it's much worse for the families on the other end of the war machine.