Kabo 1
Amrit Kabo
1532074
Victorian Values
Friday, April 21st, 2017
The Questionable Usage of Drone Warfare
Throughout the past several decades, warfare has been completely revolutionized
largely in part because of an evolution in technology. This revolution has caused a radical
shift in the way warfare has been waged in modern times, especially with the introduction
of new weapon systems. These new systems, such as laser guided bombs and stealth jets,
allow for more efficiency in terms of eliminating enemies and the ability to hit targets
with pinpoint accuracy. Despite all the advances, some of these new weapon systems
have come with much controversy, but none more than the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,
also known as the drone. Military drones, capable of being operated from thousands of
miles away and eliminating targets with a push of a button, have been at the center of
controversy throughout many modern conflicts as they are considered to be unethical.
However, although the thought of ending the lives of defenceless targets through a
remote controlled ‘airplane’ may seem immoral, the notion of morality does not exist in
war. War brings out the worst in humanity, and morality is not a primary concern, thus
actions committed in war do not have the same consequences as they would in regular
society. Military drones are incredibly advanced and their use is ethical thus they should
Kabo 2
be used to their full potential as they allow for enemy targets to be taken out, while
keeping friendly lives safe and off the battlefield.
Military drones, or Battlefield UAVs, have been in use by modern militaries since
the 1980s. However, the role played by these battlefield UAVs has substantially
skyrocketed over the past few years in wars waged by the United States, particularly the
War on Terror due the nature of the war. The UAV has provided the US military, and
other factions, with a way of observing enemy fighters and striking when need be without
directly putting friendly lives at risk. These drones are produced in many different
variants, such as the smaller hand launched RQ-11 Raven and the much larger MQ-1
Predator drone, capable of playing multiple roles, such as reconnaissance flights, tracking
and striking enemy targets using guided missiles, and providing combat surveillance,
