Just Point and Click

Sidestepping the ethical issues raised by the drone program, the technological advancement America has made in drone warfare makes war approximate a video game more so than at any time in previous history. The idea of flying a nano-drone into an open window and firing upon a well concealed target is something that feels straight out of a Call of Duty game. The separation of the killer from the killed seems to be increasing.

I bet the power of computerized calculations really shines when it comes to determining the blast radius of a missile or the likelihood of damaging a school, hospital or religious center. I like this idea because it ventures firmly into the gray. Provided that you believe firing a missile at a confirmed target is generally a good thing, calculating the blast radius of an explosion and being able to save a civilian building from destruction is a step towards progress. Having those better calculations, however, allows for greater confidence in issuing legal strike decisions in the first place, and may enable increased authorizations for deadly force. The technological improvements can be viewed can in this sense be viewed both positively and negatively.

Regardless of the push button nature of drone warfare, it is interesting that some Predator pilots are suffering PTSD symptoms. In a way, the experience of watching your target move around on the ground one moment, and then see the explosion and aftermath the next, is potentially more traumatizing than carpet bombing the vague outlines of a city somewhere off in the distance below. These operators wake up every day and experience high quality, high resolution, live video feeds of before and after pictures of high-powered explosives going off on human beings. It is interesting but unsurprising that there are serious consequences for these armchair warriors pushing the button thousands of miles away.