Abstract
This chapter examines arguments on a series of national security issues including the role of drones in conventional armed conflict. First, it questions efficiency, finding that material and human costs are significantly lowered, though unmanned aircraft still require a great deal of technical support, remote pilots still face traumas and stresses, and many agree that a country pays a diplomatic price for the wanton use of drones in counter-insurgency operations and could undermine credibility with its own or foreign publics. This chapter also evaluates claims of accuracy and precision, comparing drones positively with other types of warfare, but uncertain of whether high value targets are really emphasized over low level militants and cognizant of serious civilian casualties despite lower degrees of collateral damage.
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© 2014 James DeShaw Rae
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Rae, J.D. (2014). National Security and the Efficacy of Drone Warfare. In: Analyzing the Drone Debates: Targeted Killing, Remote Warfare, and Military Technology. Palgrave Pivot, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137381576_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137381576_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-48353-2
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