One Nation Under Drones

One Nation Under Drones is an interesting and informative review of how robotic and unmanned systems are impacting every aspect of American life, from how we fight our wars; to how we play; to how we grow our food. Edited by Professor John Jackson, who holds the E.A. Sperry Chair of Unmanned and Robotic Systems at the United States Naval War College, this highly readable book features chapters from a dozen experts, researchers, and operators of the sophisticated systems that have become ubiquitous across the nation and around the world. Press reports have focused primarily on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, officially designated as UAVs, but more often referred to as "drones". This book takes you behind the scenes and describes how Predators, Reapers, Scan Eagles and dozens of other pilotless aircraft have been used to fight the Global War on Terrorism. Although these systems seemed to emerge fully-developed into the skies above America's distant battlefields following the attacks of 9-11-2001, readers will discover how they actually trace their lineage to the First World War, when the "automatic airplane/aerial torpedo", designed and built by the Sperry Gyroscope Company, made its first flight just over a century ago. Unmanned aircraft were used by various combatants in World War II, and took many forms: from converted manned bombers to inter-continental attacks on the American homeland by rice-paper balloons. Technology developed in the latter decades of the 20th century enabled crews stationed thousands of miles away to attack targets on remote battlefields. Such long-range and remote-controlled weapons have been extensively used, but are controversial from both legal and ethical stand-points. Chapters written by international law specialists and drone pilots with advanced education in ethics address these issues from both sides of the argument. The book also details how robotic systems are being used on land, in and below the seas, and in civilian applications such as driverless cars. Three dozen photographs display drones as small as an insect up to those as large as a 737 airliner. One Nation Under Drones covers such a wide array of topics that it will be of interest to everyone from the casual reader seeking to know more about these systems, to national security professionals, both in and out of uniform, who will be making decisions about their procurement and use in decades to come. This work will become the definitive volume on the subject, providing the facts and avoiding the hype about systems that have moved off the pages of science fiction and into the environment all around us.

Lemba Adula is the perfect 15-year-old--brilliant, hardworking and polite to his elders. He excels at flying drones and coaxing new tricks out of smartphones and computers. But murderous Congolese rebels kidnap Lemba and force him to kill. He also must train other child soldiers and even help hijack a giant container ship. Drone Child is a powerful thriller and adventure story recommended for mature readers aged 18 and above. Younger readers should receive guidance and engage in dialogue with parents, teachers or librarians due to the book's mature content. Sex traffickers kidnap Lemba's sister, a gifted rumba singer, highlighting a real-life crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also, Drone Child contains elements of violence. The novel includes satirical passages that critically address the inhumanity of violence-loving individuals. Lemba is a crack shot both on the firing range and when hunting for food. At the same time, he's far from the typical action hero and empathizes with the families of the people he must kill. For authenticity and cultural sensitivity, author David H. Rothman enlisted the expertise of two Congolese fact-checkers. Junior Boweya is a translator, software localization expert, and businessman. Jean Felix Mwema Ngandu is a former Mandela Washington Fellow and prominent civic activist in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Both experts endorse the book and hope for translations into Lingala and French. Rothman has long been interested in issues affecting developing countries, especially technological ones. Positive reviews have appeared in Kirkus, The Midwest Book Review, and the American Library Association's Booklist. "A hefty tapestry interwoven with the possibilities for change," says the African American Literature Book Club. "In the context of our current times, this is a hope worth having." The second edition includes a new cover and a discussion guide for book clubs, parents, teachers and librarians. Drone Child also offers an informative section that compares events in the book with real happenings in the Congo. Additionally, the war in Ukraine makes this thriller more relevant than ever due to the moral questions that arise regarding drones and war in general, including atrocities against civilians. Don't miss out! Read Drone Child and root for Lemba and the other Adulas.

Drone Nation unveils an unexpected scenario where international drone warfare leads to a state of permanent war through increasing numbers of assassinations of the western world’s declared enemies. It provides historical context for the rise and acceptance of drone warfare and examines likely future impacts. The book discusses the broad political-economic forces at play in the United States. Topics include US strategic traditions, domestic political institutions, military-industrial complex, intra-military pressures, think tanks, media, and international law. The authors argue that social progress is not necessarily continuous. While there was widespread social and economic progress from the 1950s through 1970s in the United States, the country is now in a period of economic and political regression. The rise of drone warfare, and the domestic use of drones, is partly to blame. This gradual and important change signals a major departure from the traditional embrace of international law, military ethics, and domestic privacy.

Combat drones are transforming attitudes about the use of military force. Military casualties and the costs of conflict sap public support for war and for political and military leaders. Combat drones offer an unprecedented ability to reduce these costs by increasing accuracy, reducing the risks to civilians, and protecting military personnel from harm. These advantages should make drone strikes more popular than operations involving ground troops. Yet many critics believe drone warfare will make political leaders too willing to authorize wars, weakening constraints on the use of force. Because combat drones are relatively new, these arguments have been based on anecdotes, a handful of public opinion polls, or theoretical speculation. Drones and Support for the Use of Force uses experimental research to analyze the effects of combat drones on Americans’ support for the use of force. The authors’ findings—that drones have had important but nuanced effects on support for the use of force—have implications for democratic control of military action and civil-military relations and provide insight into how the proliferation of military technologies influences foreign policy.

In the West, media coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan is framed by military and political concerns, resulting in a simplistic picture of ageless barbarity, terrorist safe havens, and peoples in need of either punishment or salvation. Under the Drones looks beyond this limiting view to investigate real people on the ground, and to analyze the political, social, and economic forces that shape their lives. Understanding the complexity of life along the 1,600-mile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan can help America and its European allies realign their priorities in the region to address genuine problems, rather than fabricated ones. This volume explodes Western misunderstandings by revealing a land that abounds with human agency, perpetual innovation, and vibrant complexity. Through the work of historians and social scientists, the thirteen essays here explore the real and imagined presence of the Taliban; the animated sociopolitical identities expressed through traditions like Pakistani truck decoration; Sufism’s ambivalent position as an alternative to militancy; the long and contradictory history of Afghan media; and the simultaneous brutality and potential that heroin brings to women in the area. Moving past shifting conceptions of security, the authors expose the West’s prevailing perspective on the region as strategic, targeted, and alarmingly dehumanizing. Under the Drones is an essential antidote to contemporary media coverage and military concerns.

A scientist and a soldier must join forces when combat drones zero in on targets on American soil in this gripping technological thriller from New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez. Linda McKinney studies the social behavior of insects—which leaves her entirely unprepared for the day her research is conscripted to help run an unmanned and automated drone army. Odin is the secretive Special Ops soldier with a unique insight into a faceless enemy who has begun to attack the American homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention. Together, McKinney and Odin must slow this advance long enough for the world to recognize its destructive power. But as enigmatic forces press the advantage, and death rains down from above, it may already be too late to save mankind from destruction.

The Star Trek franchise represents one of the most successful emanations of popular media in our culture. The number of books, both popular and scholarly, published on the subject of Star Trek is massive.Relke sheds light on how the Star Trek narratives influence and are influenced by shifting cultural values in the United States, using these as portals to the sociopolitical and sociocultural landscapes of pre-and post 9/11 United States.

"The book I had been waiting for. I can't recommend it highly enough." —Bill Gates The era of autonomous weapons has arrived. Today around the globe, at least thirty nations have weapons that can search for and destroy enemy targets all on their own. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in next-generation warfare, describes these and other high tech weapons systems—from Israel’s Harpy drone to the American submarine-hunting robot ship Sea Hunter—and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. “A smart primer to what’s to come in warfare” (Bruce Schneier), Army of None engages military history, global policy, and cutting-edge science to explore the implications of giving weapons the freedom to make life and death decisions. A former soldier himself, Scharre argues that we must embrace technology where it can make war more precise and humane, but when the choice is life or death, there is no replacement for the human heart.