In the desire to go to war, there is always the effort to sanitize warfare. Shock and Awe, Death from Above, are all about disconnecting man from the faces on the ground. It’s also about how the decisions are made to go to war. It's always easier when it's less about committing blood and treasure and more about technological prowess.Drones or Remote Piloted Aircraft are perhaps the ultimate manifestation of this attitude. A kid in Kansas or Nevada sits at controls and drones not only see the world, but have the potential to apply remote control and sanitized devastation.
These drones are here to stay. They are now a key part of the modern military and of counter-terrorism. Lt. Col. Mark McCurley in Hunter Killer: Inside America's Unmanned Air War,
provides us a unique look at this key elements of military policies that didn't even exist 20 years ago.
My conversation with Mark McCurley:
