The Pros And Cons Of Drone Warfare

Is the current technology of drone warfare an ethical way to conduct battles, or is it a violation of the international laws of wars which should be outlawed? Opponents of drone warfare claim that the use of drones violates nation’s sovereignty, creates terrorists, and causes more collateral damage than traditional piloted aircraft. Drones are one of the newest technologies that have been implemented in modern warfare. The use of drones by the United States and other countries in combat operations have shown drones provide an advantage due to the extended time they can be on mission as compared to a conventional aircraft; however the end result of a drone striking a target is no different than a conventional piloted aircraft or a cruise

The drone aircraft are very effective at their combat mission and intelligence gathering because they are very hard to detect and are capable of staying in flight for much longer periods of time than traditional piloted aircraft. The drone aircraft serve a similar function as fighter jet aircraft which are a much more dynamic combat asset. Fighter jets offer a wider variety of armaments as well as the human element which can be more precise in decision making and are able to better interpret the situation on the ground they are seeing versus someone watching on a camera. Originally the drone aircraft utilized by the United States were only able to carry hellfire missiles but have since been modified to carry a variety of weapons much like fighter jets. The use of drone aircraft undoubtedly eliminate the risk of death or injury to military personnel because the manner they are operated removes the personnel from the threat area, “Drones are launched from bases in allied countries and are operated remotely by pilots in the United States, minimizing the risk of injury and death that would occur if ground soldiers and airplane pilots were used instead”