Predator Drones

Predator drones are incredibly efficient. They save American lives. Drones can be manned from safe locations, where often the operators are home in time for dinner. Due to the fact of their remote operation, they are ideal for surveillance operations that can span days. Drones carry out missions more expeditiously when compared to conventional methods. In the time it would take to locate a target and move troops, there is a good chance the target will have been long gone.  However, despite all these good points, some thought should be given to the long-term outcomes of using such effective killing machines.

The American government, along with the public, has turned a blind eye to some of the issues surrounding these high powered weapons. It is hard not to. We are fighting a war that most Americans are sick of fighting. Due to this war, the American economy is still shaky at best. Americans want their family members home and safe. They want jobs to go to. Servicemembers that served in multiple deployments want to rebuild their lives back home. These days, most Americans are preoccupied with how to keep food on the table – nevermind what is going on half a world away. In times of stress, Western culture thinks hand-to-mouth, paycheck to paycheck. With the nagging annoyance of daily hardship, it is easy to be short-sighted.

Yet, according to Winslow Wheeler, the Director of the Straus Military Reform Project of the Center for Defense Information in Washington, the "Reaper is not cheaper to buy than aircraft it is compared to; it is multiples more expensive: from two to six times more costly". While the Reaper and Predator are not the same, they are both UAV's. This brings up an interesting question that people are still trying to sort out. Are the financial costs of drones substantially less than manned aircraft? There are some surprising costs associated with keeping UAV's in the sky. The world must wait until the government decides to release the data.

Also, with each accidental drone casualty, we are sowing the seeds of future Jihadists – probably with each and every drone strike -- mishaps or not. Many Eastern cultures are not accustomed to the same standard of living as the West. Having slim prospects for the betterment of life on a daily basis, consequently they have little distraction when it comes to long-term planning.

 Additionally, each drone we send into airspace without that government’s permission is in violation of “the laws of war”. Currently, the American government is being secretive about what it is doing. This seems reasonable from a national security point of view. However, as a world leader, certainly we will have to answer for it later on.

 As other countries develop their own drone technology, America will look hypocritical as we inevitably try to act as playground monitor during the “great drone race”. This will lead to even more people disliking America. Once they start screaming for our blood, we can always deploy more drones. That may anger some more nice folks on the other side of the globe. Perhaps they will decide to retaliate against America on our own soil? While not technically correct, someone once mentioned something about how insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. Not technically correct, mind you, but somehow fitting.

  

http://nation.time.com/2012/02/28/2-the-mq-9s-cost-and-performance/