These Aren't The Drones You're Looking For

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Date
2014-12-16
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has grown exponentially since 2001. This thesis seeks to explore how unmanned aerial vehicles have changed the way in which the United States prosecutes its targets. This is important because misusing unmanned aerial vehicles, despite their contributions, risks limiting their use in dangerous situations, leaving the mission up to manned aircraft or ground forces. Case studies of UAV use in Pakistan, Yemen, Mali, and Afghanistan were used to analyze three hypotheses on the impact of the proliferation and seeming reliance of the United States on UAVs. The first chapter challenges the negative stigmas of UAVs and argues for a policy to guide their use. The chapter addresses the question, is it UAVs that are a problem, or is it the implementation of UAVs that are a problem? Furthermore, this chapter establishes UAVs as a natural progression in a technologically superior military. The second chapter explores if unmanned aerial vehicles can be used in places like North Africa in lieu of ground forces. The evidence suggests that although UAVs will have their utility in Africa, they are still no substitute for human engagement in certain circumstances. The third chapter addresses if unmanned aerial vehicles can support both counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations. The evidence reviewed in this chapter proposes drones can support either mission, but the mission needs to be clear and unambiguous enough to ensure the use of force is consistent with the strategic objectives of the war. In either type of mission, the role of the UAV has to be consistent with the principles the overall mission is trying to achieve. As a natural progression of a technologically superior military, UAVs have proven to be a reliable and dependable intelligence collection platform with a strike capability, but they are no substitute for human engagement on the ground and require a clear and unambiguous mission to guide the use of force by the unmanned system.
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Keywords
Unmanned aerial vehicles, drones
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