Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Warfare
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), sometimes known as Drones, have transformed warfare by allowing surveillance and armed attacks to reach farther than manned aircraft ever could. Drones are employed in two ways in the United States. The US military employs drones for surveillance and air support to help American troops performing various ground-based missions in war zones. The second is that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) uses drones to target terrorists in regions far remote from what would usually be considered a war. As new technology provides us with new tools, it has also raised problems about the law, diplomacy, and ethics in battle. Associated Press-GfK Poll, nearly 6 in 10 supports use of drones to target terrorist, 16% oppose the use of drones while 24% do not feel strongly either way (Shane 82). The criticisms raised by majority concern the target and intelligence behind the selection of those targets. Are they targeted because of who they are, their behavior or their associations? How many are militants? How many are civilians? According to religious view, the punishment of sins is death and one is fully responsible for their sins hence cannot be extended to their family or any other group that the person is associated with. According to Annual report in Afghanistan, out of approximately 3500 of people killed by drones, 959 are civilians including 204 children. Use of drone to fight terrorist has increased violence, fear and contempt from the innocent people from such areas. The military officials believes that use of drone in the terrorist zone leads to safety, on contrary, it leaves fear and instability towards the people whose lives have been turned over (Singer 54).
Regulatory Challenges of Increased Drone Use
Increased use of UAVs has presented regulatory challenges such as the need to ensure that drones are operated safely without harming public and national security, ensuring that areas of national, historical and natural importance are protected. The commission has adopted delegated acts concerning the specifications for design, production, maintenance and operation of drones; they are subject to certifications and declarations that they comply with such specifications (Shane 176). With these regulations, use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by the highly trained military officials may lead to measured, thoughtful and precise decisions in protecting the country against terrorist attacks. However if drones fall in the wrong hands, it can create a living nightmare.
Unethical Issues of Drones in Warfare
New technology has created moral hazard for politician and military leaders thinking about war and weapons in ethical terms. War is a political term of art with a connotation that bestows a higher status upon violence as decision makers attempt to legitimize it (Donald 2). Use of drones has brought the unethical issue of injustice in warfare. Just war theory suggest the use of force that has a just and proportionate cause which is properly authorized and motivated by a genuine intention to do good and that resorting to war is a last resort. Secondly, the force used must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants and anticipates the generation of level of harm that is proportional to the expected value of achieving a legitimate military objective. Unlike combat infantryman, drone operators does not experience physical risks thus having less cause to contemplate the prospect of deaths, injuries and grieving families might feel.
The Consequences and Contradictions of Drone Warfare
In addition, it is difficult to determine the extent to which the consequences of individual drone strikes including civilians, match the intended outcomes of drone operators and their commanders. War should be used to resolve and improve conflicts rather than worsening the situation. The use of drone contradicts the military virtues of courage, honor, loyalty and sacrifice. According to St. Bernard, in his crusade pointed out that, \u201cKnight of Christ may strike with confidence and die yet more confidently, for he serves Christ when he kills, and serves himself when he dies \u2026 When he kills an evildoer, he is not a murderer, but, if I may so put it, a killer of evil.\u201d
Drone Warfare and Violations of Human Rights
It is very difficult to tell whether the drone operator\u2019s purpose and actions are genuinely warlike and conforms to military profession, given that approximately 32% of those killed by US drone in Pakistan were innocent civilians. Also, in those territories where drones operates, the residents live in habitual fear which can result to psychological disorders such as post-traumatic stress or anxiety which may induce miscarriage on expectant women. Drones attack kills the target on spot that violates human right to a fair and public court hearing. Drone warfare is a nightmare to human life since operators are reliant on the intelligence received from cameras and innocent civilians who are victimized despite having no participation in terrorism surround sensors, in most cases, targets. God is the sole creator of human beings, He commanded, \u201cThou shall not kill\u201d, and hence taking a life is wrong.
Work Cited
M. Shane Riza. Killing without Heart: Limits of Robot Warfare in an Age of Persistent Conflict.
First Edition. Library of Congress Cataloging, 2013. Print.
Donald Wells A. An Encyclopedia of War and Ethics. Portsmouth, NH: Greenwood Publishing
Group, 1996.
Mark Amstutz R. Evangelicals and American Foreign Policy. United States. Oxford University
Press, 2014.
Singer P. W. Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century. Web.
New York: Penguin, 2009.
Thomas Asbridge. The First Crusade. A new History. Oxford University Press, 2004. UK. Print.
