Drone Dicta

Oh Snap!!

Persia's Revo Guards LOL they just captured one of Great Satan's Drones Gone Wild which may signal that

when it comes to more sophisticated foes such as Iran, which has Russian-made anti-aircraft missile systems, the drone is vulnerable to attack. Last year the Iranians shot down a sophisticated stealth drone, the bat-winged RQ-170 Sentinel, and now the Revolutionary Guards say they have captured a ScanEagle version, which is launched from sea. Clearly the golden age of the drones, when they ruled supreme in the skies, is drawing to a close.

Perhaps - yet drones remain totally hot over uncontested airspace - which - sans a few girls night outs in Iran- is their modus operandi.

And the unpublished rule set seems to run like this here: 

The first concern is secrecy. 

Drone strikes and targeted kill lists are highly classified.  This makes it difficult to discern the true effects of their use in warfare. Keeping all the details in the shadows also creates confusion among media outlets and human rights organizations, which are attempting to calculate precise casualty statistics.

The second concern is legality.

Under the rules of International Humanitarian Law, targeted killing is only lawful when met by three requirements: 1) The target is directly participating in the hostilities; 2) the use of force is proportionate; and 3) precautions are taken to minimize harm to civilians.

Ambiguous terminology raises questions: How are we sure they are direct participants? What is proportionate use of force? What is acceptable harm to civilians? It may not take lawyers and policymakers long to develop calculated justifications to rationalize and defend  military operations, but there must be accountability somewhere along the way, and long before the order to “fire.”

The third concern is efficacy.

Does drone warfare create a safer environment and keep Americans out of harm’s way?


Pic - "Designate targets with precision, based on the most convincing and thoroughly examined evidence"