Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

       Beginning under the Bush administration, the United States military began utilizing drone strikes as a means of eliminating high level targets in the Middle East. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that fly at an incredibly high altitude and enable the military to attack targets undetected. They also allow the military to strike in areas where ground troops or pilots may not be able to enter safely. The drone program has not only continued, but has expanded under the Obama administration.

       Currently, the drone strikes are located primarily in Pakistan. This enables the U.S. military to deliver strikes within a country that does not have a U.S. troop presence on the ground. The use of drones in Pakistani air space has been a great source of tension between the two countries. On one side, the U.S. claims that it is acting to protect U.S. security by eliminating terrorist targets within Pakistan. The Pakistani's however, fervently oppose the program as it has caused collateral damage and the deaths of innocent bystanders.
       We know that Al Qaeda and the Taliban have a military presence in Pakistan. These terrorist pose a significant threat to our own security and that of our allies. This is a very deadly program, however, and it is being executed by an unmanned aerial vehicle with incredibly deadly force. Do you feel that the U.S. has the right to militarily intervene in Pakistan? What could this drone technology lead to in the future? Is it the beginning of highly mechanized warfare, with less and less troops actually on the ground?

Hosenball, Mark. "U.S. drones attack militants in Pakistan, Yemen." Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/30/us-usa-drones-idUSBRE82T1C520120330.