Metal Allies

saltwn · #1 (**permalink**) 06-23-2011, 02:23 AM

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In the decade since Sept. 11, 2001, the United States has developed an air force of drones to fight its new enemies. Faced with terrorists willing to take any life, we built machines that hunt and kill but don't bleed.
In the next decade, our reliance on drones and the spies who support them may increase for a different reason: We're losing friends.

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Since Sept. 11, the U.S. drone fleet has grown from a few dozen to 7,000. The Air Force now trains more pilots to operate drones than to fly bombers or fighter jets. Spy drones have flown extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq, where we've fought ground wars. But killer drones have been particularly useful in Pakistan, where we can't send troops.
Every time U.S. ground forces have entered its territory—most recently in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden—Pakistan has freaked out. But Pakistani leaders have tolerated U.S. drone strikes that killed nearly 2,000 insurgents in the country's frontier provinces over the past five years. In fact, since the Bin Laden raid, the drone strikes have escalated and spread.

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Hand in hand with the drone war, the CIA's role has expanded. Like the drones, the CIA is invisible. It can hunt and kill in a country without officially being there.

Drones and the CIA: Can we wage a global war without troops or allies? - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

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... the U.S. is preparing to fight on without Pakistan's help. The backup plan is to move our drones to Afghan bases and fly them into Pakistan from there. And as we pull out of Afghanistan, we'd leave drones in place. That way, we can continue to hunt al-Qaida in both countries even when, as a human presence, we're no longer there.

It's going to look like a Star Wars movie.

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A similar scenario is unfolding in Yemen. ...Until now, the drone war in Yemen has been run by the U.S. military. But the military has screwed up. First it misidentified a target and killed a Yemeni envoy. Then it failed three times to take out Awlaki. But the bigger problem is that the Yemeni regime is unraveling. Its collaboration with U.S. forces has collapsed. Its political opponents want to take over and end U.S. military operations.
So the U.S. is preparing the same nonexit strategy. We're putting extra CIA officers in Yemen and instructing the agency to run an expanded drone campaign based outside the country...Legally, the U.S. military needs the consent of the host government to wage a drone war. The CIA doesn't.

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We're also flying killer drones over Libya. But there, we're waging an open military conflict in concert with NATO. What's significant about Pakistan and Yemen is that they're off the books. We use drones instead of ground troops. We don't even send pilots who can be shot down.

If someone had told me stuff like this could take place in my life time, I'd have called them a liar.

mlurp · #2 (**permalink**) 06-23-2011, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

Drones and the CIA: Can we wage a global war without troops or allies? - By William Saletan - Slate Magazine

It's going to look like a Star Wars movie.

If someone had told me stuff like this could take place in my life time, I'd have called them a liar.

Good Post salty, as most people don't know how much we depend on drones and Un-Manned fighters, unless they keep abreast with defense sites or watch the Military Channel.

I saw on the Military Channel early this morning a show on them. And it was a bit older, yet very informative.

Google Search: Un Manned fighters - Google Search

And for Drones: Un Manned fighters - Google Search

Skip the first 3 as they are games..

And I have seen newer shows on them. Seems about every company in Silcone Vally is working on them.

saltwn · #3 (**permalink**) 06-23-2011, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlurp

Good Post salty, as most people don't know how much we depend on drones and Un-Manned fighters, unless they keep abreast with defense sites or watch the Military Channel.

I saw on the Military Channel early this morning a show on them. And it was a bit older, yet very informative.

Google Search: Un Manned fighters - Google Search

And for Drones: Un Manned fighters - Google Search

Skip the first 3 as they are games..

And I have seen newer shows on them. Seems about every company in Silcone Vally is working on them.

Had no thoyught of where they were made. hmph Well I hope there's a peace time function for them or they can be modified.
"Robo cop"?

mlurp · #4 (**permalink**) 06-23-2011, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

Had no thoyught of where they were made. hmph Well I hope there's a peace time function for them or they can be modified.
"Robo cop"?

This Nation if the MIlitary has a say will never stop with the battles, Wars or helping our allies (which many are socialist), like the few Obama visited when Libya started and he sent our Navy and Air Foce to enforce the no fly zone.

Or out right dictators, like a few of our allies in the M.E. and S.E. Asia..

Which I believe he did for show with Venezuela, in the vists south of our boarders.

And our best allie in the entire M.E. Israel, he about spits on at times. Mind games with a very serious, determined allie which BTW is a total DEMOCRACY, unlike most of our allies in the region.

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