Thursday, October 6, 2011

Drones don't kill people, people kill people

By Ernesto Burden, Publisher

A headline in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye Saturday morning: “Drone Kills Top Al Qaeda Figure.” Something about the ambiguity of this language bothered me – in English, do we more often cite the weapon that kills someone, or the consciousness that directs the weapon? In the case of a hostage standoff in which police are forced to shoot the hostage taker, do we say, “bullet kills captor,” or “gun kills captor,” or do we say, “police shoot hostage taker?” Unless the gun was acting autonomously (impossible), or maybe fell out of a holster and went off accidentally, I’d say, “police shoot hostage taker,” is a better reflection of reality.

The "Drone Kills" headline referred to a CIA counterterrorism program attack on U.S.-born Al Qaeda recruiter, Anwar al-Awlaki. The CIA used a drone to kill al-Awlaki, and sure, in some sense, he was "killed by drone" in the same sense that someone might undergo "death by hanging." But to lead a story by saying a man had just been killed by a rope would paint a rather surreal picture.

I'm not just asking this question based on a single the WSJ headline. As the day progressed and other mentions of this incident popped up, on the radio, television, the Web, so many of them included this "Drone Kills..." construction that one has to conclude it is the accepted media term. But does it obfuscate both the reality of the situation, the necessary and practical questions that arise as the line between military and intelligence operations blurs in the era of unmanned vehicles?

And what about the technology behind it? Is there a suggestion in that persistently constructed "drone kills" headline that the drone is autonomous? It's not, but it's not hard to imagine – at least technically – many aspects of warfare carried on with humans out of the loop entirely. Science fiction writers have done a bang-up job imagining frightening visions of that future. Perhaps we in the media should be clearer and more accurate in our language, if not for the sake of preventing the public from developing a blind spot to an important ethical arena in warfighting, then at least for the sake of the language itself.

Ernesto Burden is the publisher of Military & Aerospace Electronics and Avionics Intelligence. He can be reached at ernestob@pennwell.com and on Twitter @ aero_ernesto.

7 comments:

  1. I have to agree that the language of drone killing, somewhat blunts the fact, that the Xbox solder who is controlling the drone is not responsible for the death of the target is wrong. If a solder shoots an enemy on the battlefield he knows it's his kill, he owns it, but when you are sitting at a keyboard, it's not much different than playing "Modern Warfare" on the Xbox, you don't feel the impact, you don't smell the blood, you don't see the results of your action, and somehow that is morally wrong. The target or targets are living breathing human beings, not computer graphics.
    In the computer age, the real enemy is war itself.

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  2. Paradoxically, perhaps, the drone pilot is more aware than anyone else of the act. I think that this article does not see that. It is like sneaking up on someone and not the normal act of war requiring valor. I do not criticize it for that. I just note it.

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  3. We, the American people, are killing, blowing apart, grievously injuring, and torturing many, many, many relatively innocent, good, hard-working, positively contributing people. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT! People! We have no right to do what we are doing. May the Great Spirit have mercy on our souls. And may we start acting like decent people!

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  4. I think all need to remember the US is still working to prevent terrorism from killing US citizens at home and abroad. Shenendoah stated the American people are killing innocent people. If that were the case I would agree, stop it. But Anwar al-Awlaki was not at all an innocent individual. So don't be mislead to believe Americans are going around killing innocents. I agree it is misleading to say Drone Kills Top Al Qaeda figure. That is like saying Boeing jets killed thousands in the trade towers in NYC. It is more accurate to state US Counter terrorism program attack kills U.S. born Al Qaeda recruiter, Anwar al-Awlaki. The method is really not even relevant. Unless the purpose of the media is to begin a campaign against the use of UAV's, which may very well be the case. Watch the headlines and judge for yourself if that is the case.

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  5. To win a war, soldiers have to do the work and not sit back in a game room and flying an UAV to kill someone thousands of miles away. Who ever is the target could be enamy or innocent people so counter terrorism is a display name for the public only.

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  6. Finally some commons sense. By some of the arguments posted here we should not have ballistic missiles, long range bombers, artillery, or sniper rifles.
    In every case, including unmanned aircraft, the rules of war apply. Rules of engagement are established, targets are selected and reviewed.
    With the sensors used on unmanned aircraft, the enemy is seen, up close, and no matter where the pilot and sensor operator are, they feel the choice of their actions. More so than their bretheren on other long range weapons systems.
    No, these soldiers and airmen are not facing the enemy on the ground, but because they are doing their job, our infantry can fight and survive an enemy that has no rules.

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  7. Even extremely conservative sources recognize that drone strikes have killed many innocent people--hundreds. With drones, we cause large explosions in cities full of people. If one thinks about what is actually happening, the civilian death count is probably much higher than usually estimated. American people are not the only valuable people, who must be respected. By this behavior, we are going to bring retaliation in kind. God help us.

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