Abel Del Pino

Browne, Period 7
March 18, 2014

Drones: Necessary Technology?

As drones have become a major part of the United States' operations in the middle east,
people have increasingly debated whether or not weapons of this type are necessary and if the
benefits outweigh the negatives of using drones. According to Pentagon data, "the U.S. military
launched 506 strikes from unmanned aircraft in Afghanistan last year, a 72% increase from 2011
and a sign that American commanders may begin to rely more heavily on remote-controlled air
power to kill Taliban insurgents as they reduce the number of troops on the ground" (Bengali).
Even though people have legitimate concerns relating to drones, such as foreign backlash and
their cost, the benefits that drones provide, including decreasing soldier deaths and stopping
terrorist leaders, outweigh concerns.
Although drones have existed for many decades, they have seen an increase in use in the
past decade, mostly because they have been a large part of US military operations in the Middle
East. According to Dan Murphy, "drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are remotecontrolled aircraft that usually carry cameras to gather intelligence and sometimes missiles to
kill" (Murphy). Drones greatly vary in size and price. "They range in size from the five-pound
Raven, which is launched by an infantryman the way a child throws a paper airplane and costs
$25,000, to the Reaper, which has a wingspan of 66 feet and is equipped with Hellfire missiles
and 500-pound bombs and has a price tag of $17 million" (Murphy). According to a News
Currents article, drones "were mostly used to spy on other countries, or to find soldiers lost in
combat. Soldiers could pilot them without fear of getting shot down and killed. During the Iraq
War, drones were used to inflict lethal force by dropping bombs" (Drones). Today, drones are
still used for the same reasons as in the past but have seen new uses and will continue to have

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more uses. The US currently uses drones to kill terrorists in foreign countries. Research is being
done on finding new ways of using drones in the future. But, many people have questioned
whether or not drones are necessary, if their benefits outweigh the costs, and if there use in
foreign countries is justified.
Drones have been very effective in stopping terrorists and will have many more uses as
technology improves in the future. According to a News Currents article, "one of the biggest
defenders of drone strikes is John Brennan, the head of the CIA. He says that drones help save
American lives because they target terrorists who would harm us. And drones put fewer U.S.
military troops in danger than traditional aircraft do" (Human). Drones have played a large role
in minimizing US casualties. Drones allow soldiers to control drones to accomplish missions far
away from any danger and not have to travel in the vast desert areas that exist in the Middle East.
"Although a drone strike may violate the local state's sovereignty, it does so to a lesser degree
than would putting U.S. boots on the ground or conducting a large-scale air campaign. Compared
with a 500-pound bomb dropped from an F-16 ... most drones create smaller, more precise blast
zones that decrease the risk of unexpected structural damage and casualties" (Byman). Drones
can remain in the air for many more hours in comparison to traditional airplanes, allowing the
controllers to wait for the ideal moment to strike. (Byman). Drones also cause less disturbance to
civilians compared to soldiers walking in their city. In an article by Brian Bennett, he said tests
were conducted by officials from the drone manufacturer , AeroVironment. The officials tested
the Wasp, Raven and Puma -- all between 4 and 15 pounds -- for their ability to detect nuclear
radiation, track a gun tossed by a fleeing suspect, find the source of a building fire and assist
searchers in finding a missing person, among other challenges" (Bennett). The number of uses
for drones will increase as more research is done. They will be able to aid those working in

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public service complete tasks like those mentioned in the article.

Some experts argue that there are better alternatives to using drones and that using drones
in foreign countries should not be allowed. "Some analysts worry that, despite the drones' tactical
benefits, their heavy use could damage America's strategic goals. David Kilcullen, one of the
most influential advisers in US counterinsurgency strategy in the past few years, thinks drone
strikes in Pakistan do more harm than good because of the backlash they create, especially when
civilians are killed" (Murphy). While drones have benefitted the US, the countries that they are
used in have begun to think of drones negatively. Drones have caused protest and backlash
because of they use without warning. Drones also have a large cost associated with them.
Keeping a Predator drone in the air costs about $3,200 per hour and requires about an hour of
maintenance for each hour of flight. In fiscal year 2010, CBP had to divert $25 million from
other programs to address operations and maintenance budget shortfalls in the program" (Peter).
Drone use by the US has been very secretive. "People are very concerned about the drone
missions, and especially about the lack of information about them. Human rights groups have
interviewed many witnesses to drone attacks. These groups don't say that all drone attacks are
war crimes. But they say they that some attacks have violated the laws of war by targeting
civilians and causing excessive harm to innocent people" (Human). If the government continues
to be secretive of drones and accidently harm innocent civilians in foreign countries, drones
could cause a rise in negative feelings towards the US government and cause backlash by foreign
leaders. The proliferation of UAVs for legitimate purposes will complicate efforts to respond to
the growing threat of terrorist drones. In the future, people may become desensitized to the sight
of miniature aircraft flying low overhead, leading to a situation where it might be harder to tell
when one of the devices is being operated by criminals or terrorists" (Goodman). In the future

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drones could harm people in our own country. Criminals and terrorists could use them for harm
and the public would be unaware what a drone was being used for if they saw one.
In actuality, foreign leaders support drone use because of their effectiveness. The US
government has also promised to regulate domestic drone use in the upcoming years. Many think
that foreign leaders are against drone use in their country, but they are told about strikes in
advance and support them because they target terrorists. "As officials in both Pakistan and
Yemen realize, U.S. drone strikes help their governments by targeting common enemies. A
memo released by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks revealed that Pakistan's army chief,
Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, privately asked U.S. military leaders in 2008 for "continuous Predator
coverage". Thus, in private, Pakistan supports the drone program" (Byman). The reason the
Obama administration has increased their use of drones is because of how effective they have
become in accomplishing the goals of the military. According to data compiled by the New
America Foundation, since Obama has been in the White House, U.S. drones have killed an
estimated 3,300 al Qaeda, Taliban, and other jihadist operatives in Pakistan and Yemen. That
number includes over 50 senior leaders of al Qaeda and the Taliban-top figures who are not
easily replaced" (Byman). These statistics show how effective the drone program has been.
Using drones, the US gotten rid of terrorists who threatened the safety of many. If drones were
not used it would be much more difficult to kill as many terrorists because of the remote places
some terrorists hide. When it comes to domestic use of drones, Congress gave the FAA, "which
the drone industry claims has dragged its feet in developing safety rules," orders last year to
allow unmanned aircraft in the skies by September 2015. "The FAA promises draft regulations
for small drones by early next year, with rules for larger drones to follow" (Domestic). As
drones see increased use the government will make sure to regulate drone use by civilians and

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officials in the country, similarly to how they have regulated other technology that has the
potential to cause harm such as, guns and the internet.
Improvements to drones since their creation, have benefitted many people including
governments and businesses and will benefit more individuals as more improvements are made
in the future. People have been concerned about their privacy and security as drone use increases
in the country. As drone use by the military forces continues, more information will have to be
released and they will have to be less secretive to not have a negative opinion of drones. The
government faces the challenge of regulating drones in the next couple of years to protect
citizens as more progress is made with drones and make sure drones are used for the
improvement of our society.

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Works Cited
Bengali, Shashank, and David S. Cloud. "U.S. Drone Use in Afghanistan Is Up Sharply." Los
Angeles Times. 22 Feb. 2013: A.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.
Bennett, Brian. "Drones Tested as Tools for Police, Firefighters." Los Angeles Times. 05 Aug.
2012: A.16. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Byman, Daniel. "Why Drones Work: The Case for Washington's Weapon of Choice." Foreign
Affairs. Jul/Aug 2013: 32. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"Domestic Drones Move Faster Than Rules on Safety, Privacy." USA Today 9 Dec. 2013: 10A.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"Drones: The Debate Continues." NewsCurrents Read to Know. 29 Apr. 2013: n.p. SIRS
Discoverer. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Goodman, Marc. "Attack of the Drones." Jane's Intelligence Review. 01 Jan. 2012: n.p. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
"Human Rights Groups Challenge U.S. Drone Strikes." NewsCurrents Read to Know. 04 Nov.
2013: n.p. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Murphy, Dan. "Aerial Drones Serve as Weapons of War." Weapons of War. Ed. Diane Andrews
Henningfeld. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Briefing: Aerial
Drones as Weapons of War." Christian Science Monitor (22 May 2009). Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Peter, Tom A. "Drones on the US Border: Are They Worth the Price?" Christian Science
Monitor 5 Feb. 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.