01 Apr 2004
Revenge of the Killer Drones

I've noticed a lot of chatter about unmanned drone planes lately - and I find the whole concept intensely disturbing, for the exact same reason that proponents find the prospects of these weapons so alluring: they [apparently] save lives.

Were these types of robotic soliders to come into general use, it would, I believe have a tendancy to make war more politically palatable. Fewer body bags, fewer casualities, less mess. A "new and improved" tool in a diplomats bag of tricks. This is a dangerous thing.

Think about it: if a leader of a technologically advnaced country could launch an all out air (or eventually, ground) assult against a foe with no risk to the lives of his citizens, would not that make such an assault more of a first resort, rather than the final option considered in a diplomatic crisis? We've seen some of the effects of this already with the developement by the US of cruise missle technology: these drones simply expand on what has been started. The future of warfare is, apparently, a push button future.

Over the long term, I believe this will actually end up costing humanity in terms of lives lost to war and conflict, rather than reducing them. No strike is ever wholly "surgical" - there's always "collateral damage". And these drones and their earthbound descendents could send the arms race into a dangerous new sprial, ushering in an era of war by mechanical proxy.

Dangerous stuff, indeed.

Unmanned military aircraft have become valuable spying tools, but now the Pentagon wants them ready to shoot to kill as well. A combat-ready prototype will drop its first test bomb this week. Noah Shachtman reports from Arlington, Virginia.

(link) [Wired News]

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