Drone Wars Briefing Examining the growing threat of unmanned warfare Chris Cole Drone Wars UK 1 The Drone Wars Briefing was written by Chris Cole Front Cover photograph: Copyright QinetiQ. Drone Wars UK acknowledges the financial support of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Drone Wars UK 20 Wilkins Road Oxford OX4 2HX www.dronewars.net
[email protected] Published January 2012 2 Contents Introduction ......................................... 4 UK Drone Operations ....................................... 6 Future UK Armed Drones ...................................... 10 US Drone Operations ...................................... 14 Legal Issues: Targeted Killing ...................................... 19 Other Issues In Brief ...................................... 23 Final thoughts: The need for public accountability & debate ... 26 References ...................................... 28 Abbreviations AQAP Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula CAA Civil Aviation Authority CAOC Combined Air Operations Centre IHL International Humanitarian Law ISAF International Security Assistance Force JSOC Joint Special Operations Command RPAS Remotely Piloted Air Systems UOR Urgent Operational Requirement UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAS Unmanned Aerial System 3 Introduction Ten years ago, the United States Air Force successfully launched a missile from a Predator drone for the first time at a test range in the Nevada desert. 1 While unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones as they are commonly known) had previously been used in military operations for reconnaissance, surveillance and targeting purposes, this was a significant point in the evolution of military drones. Just months later, in the aftermath of ‘9/11’, the first operational armed strike by a remote controlled unmanned drone took place in Afghanistan, when a CIA- operated Predator drone attacked al-Qaeda leader Mohammed Atef. According to media reports, Atef was killed along with seven other people.