Pentagon Increasing Drone Flights By 50%

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has been on the rise over the last decade and 65 drone flights are currently being run daily, up from five a day in 2004.

Most of these flights are operated by the US Air Force (USAF), which is suffering from drone pilot shortages as personnel burn out from stressful missions. In June, the USAF announced that it would be seeking to cut back drone flights from 65 to 60 a day.

To stem this problem, the Pentagon is getting involved and will pull in the US Army, Special Forces and third-party defence contractors to help run more drone flights, with the aim of increasing daily UAV flights from 60 up to 90 by 2019, a senior defence official told the Wall Street Journal.

In the past, the CIA has worked with the USAF on secret drone missions, but the increase in drone flights will enable drones to conduct surveillance for more US government agencies and gather intelligence about ongoing situations in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, North Africa and the South China Sea.

But drones have also been used in the past for deadly and controversial air strikes, and an increase in drone flights could lead to more civilian deaths, which campaigners say are illegal and contravene basic human rights. In fact, a recent report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that almost 6,000 people have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia to date.

Military officials have been speaking out in recent months stating that without improved intelligence, they are unable to adequately monitor activities in high-tension areas, such as the Ukraine and Islamic State (Isis) in the Middle East and Africa.
In March, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove stressed that more needed to be done to counter Russian support and influence over separatists in eastern Ukraine. He also echoed concerns from Nato that the cease-fire agreement signed in Minsk might not being adhered to.

"We do see the weapons moving. We do not know that they are moved off the battlefield but we know that they are moving," he told the Brussels Forum meeting of the German Marshall Fund.

"We continue to see disturbing evidence of air defence, command and control, resupply equipment coming across a completely porous border, so there are concerns whether Minsk is being followed or not."

Yet the cost of using drones is paid not only by the civilians and their families in countries where the US believes there is a terrorist threat, but also by the pilots that operate these missions.

To date, 1,200 first-generation drone operators have chosen to leave their positions once their service time has ended, and only a small number of them left to earn more in the private sector.

"Having our folks make that mental shift every day, driving into the gate and thinking, 'All right, I've got my war face on, and I'm going to the fight,' and then driving out of the gate and stopping at Walmart to pick up a carton of milk or going to the soccer game on the way home — and the fact that you can't talk about most of what you do at home — all those stressors together are what is putting pressure on the family, putting pressure on the airman," US Air Force 432nd Wing commander Col James Cluff told the New York Times in June.

"After something like that, you come home and have to make all the little choices about the kids' clothes or if you parked in the right place," added Bruce Black, a retired lieutenant general who was part of a team that watched Al Qaeda founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for 600 hours before he was killed by a bomb from a manned aircraft.

"And after making life and death decisions all day, it doesn't matter. It's hard to care."

IBT

 

« Malaysian Police Work with Interpol & FBI to Foil Cyber Warfare Threat
Pentagon to Wage War on DDOS Attacks »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What Is A Next-Generation Firewall (and why does it matter)?

Watch this webinar to hear security experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and SANS break down the myths and realities of what an NGFW is, how to use one, and what it can do for your security posture.

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

Perforce Software

Perforce Software

Perforce helps companies build complex software products more collaboratively, securely, and efficiently.

Onspring

Onspring

Onspring is the cloud-based platform of choice for governance, risk and compliance (GRC) teams and business operations experts across multiple industries.

Hacker House

Hacker House

Hacker House teaches you what hackers can learn about your business and systems so that preventative solutions to protect your assets can be applied through active measures.

Fujitsu

Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese global information and communication technology company, offering a full range of products, solutions and services including Managed IT Services and Cyber Security.

Fingerprint Cards

Fingerprint Cards

Fingerprint Cards develops and produces biometric components and technologies that verify a person’s identity through the analysis and matching of an individual’s unique fingerprint.

SafeLogic

SafeLogic

SafeLogic provides strong encryption products for solutions in mobile, server, Cloud, appliance, wearable, and IoT environments that are pursuing compliance to strict regulatory requirements.

Yelbridges

Yelbridges

Yelbridges is your reliable partner in all fields of IT-Security, from developing of Security Policies and Guidelines to the design and implementation of secure processes.

Rentalworks

Rentalworks

Rentalworks is a leading provider of Internet-of-Things (IoT) Asset Lifecycle Management Services including secure data erasure and disposal.

Cryptyk

Cryptyk

CRYPTYK CLOUD is the first complete enterprise-class cloud security solution that includes cloud storage and broad protection against all external and internal threats.

Carson McDowell

Carson McDowell

Carson McDowell are one of Northern Ireland's leading law firms. We are the law firm of choice for many of Northern Ireland's Top 100 companies as well as international companies doing business here.

ANSEC IA

ANSEC IA

ANSEC is a consultancy practice providing independent Information Assurance and IT Security focussed services to customers throughout the UK, Ireland and internationally.

Laminar

Laminar

Laminar provides the only Public Cloud Data Protection solution that provides full visibility and enforcement capabilities across your entire public cloud infrastructure.

Swish Data Corp.

Swish Data Corp.

Swish delivers when the problems are complex, requirements are difficult, and the mission is absolutely critical.

Cyber Unit

Cyber Unit

Cyber Unit offer next level protection from cyber attacks in packages and pricing options that are accessible to smaller organizations.

Performance Technologies

Performance Technologies

As a leading IT Solutions Provider in Greece, Performance Technologies delivers reliable, long life solutions, ensuring continuous availability of business-critical services and information.

Xantaro

Xantaro

Xantaro specializes in technologies, software and services for Carriers, ISPs, Hosting and Cloud Providers as well as for Operators of Data Centres and Campus Networks.