ATS2640 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Perpetual War, Laser Designator, Special Forces
Document Summary
Targeted killings vs drone warfare: drones have an obvious utility in ordinary armed conflict. Key features of targeted killings: targeting members of groups that are non-state actors rather than members of a conventional armed service. Just who counts as a member of al qaeda or a terrorist is a key question: targeting people outside of declared zones of armed conflict, perpetual war. Signature strikes: some of the most controversial attacks carried out by drones have been attacks on unknown persons on the basis of a suspicious pattern of activity. Key features of drones: remotely piloted aircraft, operated from anywhere in the world via radio and/or satellite, cheap compared to manned aircraft. Sophisticated sensors including very powerful cameras and devices to listen to electronic communications. Long loiter times leading to persistent surveillance: armed with precision munitions. East, where they have killed some 4000+ people.
