Let's talk Drones

[Rich46yo]

You should read up more. His entire doctrine was to stay aggressive. An enemy on the run is less able to fight back

I have. I have also read how he looked at a battlefield and said, "I love it" ; "I do love it so".

I never said we didnt need Patton's. I also agree with his doctrine of knocking the hell out of the enemy and winning the thing, "BTW his 3rd army had such a low casualty rate cause they didnt even exist on paper before 1 Aug. 1944". I wonder what it would have been had they had to slog it our thru the hedgerows of Normandy for a few months before. You should read more.

This "philosophy" is why I favor drones. They take the fight to the enemy, most of all their leadership targets. And they do so without putting our sons and daughters at risk. I'm a father of a troop and I couldnt give a rat's rear end if the world thinks they are inhumane.

My only regret is Im to old to notch some terrorist scalps my ownself.

[Vulcan]

This "philosophy" is why I favor drones. They take the fight to the enemy, most of all their leadership targets. And they do so without putting our sons and daughters at risk. I'm a father of a troop and I couldnt give a rat's rear end if the world thinks they are inhumane.

My only regret is Im to old to notch some terrorist scalps my ownself.

The argument is not whether drones are inhumane or not, it's how they are being used.

[rpm]

These aren't the drones you're looking for.

Police said they arrested a University of Texas student after he flew a drone over Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium during the Longhorns game Saturday night.
Police said they began investigating after they noticed the drone during the second half of the game against the University of North Texas.
Officials found the student and arrested him shortly after.

[Vudak]

Intentionally targeting and executing civilians is not war, just plain murder.  The Allies were guilty of this during WWII...

When it came to what they did to Germany and the Germans, the Allies were guilty of nothing in WWII.

Albert Speer on the "terror" bombing of Hamburg:

We were of the opinion that a rapid repetition of this type of attack upon another six German towns would inevitably cripple the will to sustain armament manufacture and war production. It was I who first verbally reported to the Fuehrer at that time that a continuation of these attacks might bring about a rapid end to the war."

Hamburg was bombed most heavily in July-August of 1943.  We didn't go after another six towns rapidly.  If you read Churchill's memoirs, many of his contemporaries lost their stomach for it after seeing what Operation Gomorrah did.  Meanwhile, the Holocaust raged on for nearly another two years.

When you have a conflict you clearly need to win, you win it, and you wait until the end to feel bad about it.

[GScholz]

I have. I have also read how he looked at a battlefield and said, "I love it" ; "I do love it so".

We need men that are good at warfare, and I think it is a bit unfair and disingenuous to think/suggest that it is morally wrong for them to like, even love, their work; all the while we enjoy the freedom and security they provide.

[jollyFE]

The UAV I fly at work is as big as a commercial airliner...air to air isn't that far off.   I hate the term drone, that implies that the aircraft isn't that smart.  The small quad rotors can be programmed to return home is they go lost link, that sounds somewhat smart to me.  Some UAVs can do everything after engine start on their own...take, T/O, execute the mission and return home all without human interaction.  Many can handle almost any emergency without pilot input.

[pembquist]

With new drones rolling out it seems by the week for new and more complex tasks and purposes, it's been a common topic around 'hese parts talking about drones replacing pilots.


I figured we could all discuss our stances on them...

Here's my 2¢

Reconnaissance: Absolutely

Air to Ground Attack: Neutral on this point

Air to Air Combat: Never

I vote yes on all three and more when it gets dreamed up. Not to sound ridiculous but I feel like we are on the cusp of something with regards to automation that will be as transformative as the creation of agriculture. Drones are one of the more visible technologies but are still primitive with regards to autonomy. That, though is the future, don't kid yourself. Fire and forget will have a whole new meaning in a decade or two. However, the biggest change won't be military drones but our relationship to work and earning. It has been a truism that automation leads to the creation of yet undreamed of jobs, I am not so sure that that is the case now, or maybe the point is that it will require a whole crapload of creating to figure out what we all will do when robots can do most everything that we can do in the way of work.

[JimmyC]

Just saw on news today here in NZ cleaning some quake damage at sumner Christchurch the use of radio controlled excavators. .
The area was deemed to dangerous  so they rigged the diggers to be radio controlled.
Sensible option.
Drone? Or tool

[Slate]

  Where is Condor06?    He could give input on drones.

   





   

[zack1234]

Intentionally targeting and executing civilians is not war, just plain murder.  The Allies were guilty of this during WWII, but bombing cities to destroy factories and infrastructure is hardly equivalent to concentration camp genocide. 

.

The germans were all guilty and deserved what they got from the allies

The allies cannot be that bad as people still speak german and there still is a Germany

Using drones on scum is a fantastic idea, give the drone AI would be more efficient

[pembquist]

The germans were all guilty and deserved what they got from the allies

Even the 6 year olds?

There are forces beyond our control, we are swept in the tides of history. Don't pretend that fairness or justice has anything to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[JimmyD3]

Even the 6 year olds?

There are forces beyond our control, we are swept in the tides of history. Don't pretend that fairness or justice has anything to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yes.

[caldera]

When it came to what they did to Germany and the Germans, the Allies were guilty of nothing in WWII.

Albert Speer on the "terror" bombing of Hamburg:

Hamburg was bombed most heavily in July-August of 1943.  We didn't go after another six towns rapidly.  If you read Churchill's memoirs, many of his contemporaries lost their stomach for it after seeing what Operation Gomorrah did.  Meanwhile, the Holocaust raged on for nearly another two years.

When you have a conflict you clearly need to win, you win it, and you wait until the end to feel bad about it.

 
I agree.  If you read the rest of that post...

Collateral casualties in large numbers may be necessary to kill all the jihadists.

I hate that civilians are killed in war but until there is some magic weapon that can kill all the bad guys without hurting anyone else; we can either continue fighting a limited war that goes on forever or steamroll the crap out of them and be done with it.

[pembquist]

Yes.

your supposed to say "especially the 6 year olds"

[Rich46yo]

What does WW2 Germany and 6yo's have to do with drones?