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Drone warfare has become a staple in modern military operations, raising critical questions about the legitimacy and human implications of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for lethal strikes.
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Central to the debate is the moral and legal framework that justifies drone strikes, especially when conducted by the U.S. military, which carries out the majority of these operations globally.
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The discourse surrounding drone warfare is multifaceted, delving into the tactical and strategic use of drones, the constraints that govern their deployment, and the varying public perceptions of their legitimacy.
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The legitimacy of drone strikes hinges on their alignment with moral and legal standards, with international approval often playing a crucial role in public perception.
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Strategic strikes, which target key terrorist leaders to hasten a group’s collapse, and tactical strikes, aimed at achieving specific battlefield objectives, are the primary forms of drone operations.
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While U.S. citizens generally perceive over-the-horizon drone strikes, conducted without external oversight, as legitimate, concerns arise when civilian casualties are involved.
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Such incidents provoke a shift in perspective, favoring international rather than national oversight to ensure the appropriate use of force.
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The U.S. Army’s chaplains, serving as moral advocates, offer a contrasting view to the general public. Their beliefs reflect a preference for tightly constrained tactical strikes on the battlefield and question the legality, intelligence accuracy, and national security implications of over-the-horizon strikes.
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Clarity on the intelligence driving operations, measures to protect civilians, and compliance with international law could enhance the program’s legitimacy among citizens and soldiers alike.
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Amidst the evolving landscape of drone warfare, the U.S. Army officer Lt. Col. Paul Lushenko’s book, “The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions,” co-authored with economics professor Shyam Raman, offers groundbreaking insights into public attitudes towards drone warfare.
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Their empirical analysis sheds light on the nuanced factors that shape perceptions of legitimacy, guiding practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in navigating the modern way of war.
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As technology rapidly advances, societal deliberation must keep pace to inform military decision-making and the development of international standards in line with the principles of warfare.
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The human element remains central in UAV operations, despite the technological sophistication. UAVs continue to proliferate, presenting incremental threats to U.S. and allied military operations.
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The RAND Corporation’s report in 2018 predicts that adversaries equipped with various types and sizes of UAVs will challenge future U.S. forces. As such, military operations involving UAVs represent a complex sociotechnical system, with human operators crucial to their success.
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The experiences of drone pilots and sensor operators are protected from public scrutiny, and official policies discourage the sharing of operational details without the necessary security clearances.
Relevant articles:
– US drone warfare faces questions of legitimacy, study of military chaplains shows, The Conversation
– US Army officer’s book explores legitimacy of drone warfare, C4ISRNet
– Airmen and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: The Danger of Generalization, Air University (af.edu)