War mediated by satellites. US drone warfare and its socio-political consequences

Mateusz Pietryka

doi:10.35765/hp.2566

Data publikacji : 2024-09-30

Tom 15 Nr 52 (2024)

War mediated by satellites. US drone warfare and its socio-political consequences

Mateusz Pietryka

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3124-1053

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/hp.2566

Dział: ARTYKUŁY VARIA / ARTICLES VARIA

Abstrakt

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Analysis of the mediation phenomenon in US drone warfare and its consequences for drone operators and for global politics.

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The primary issue is how the physical separation from the battlefield affects soldiers controlling unmanned vehicles and how technological dominance associated with drones impacts international law and perception of the enemy. The paper analyzes a broad range of sources, including academic literature, NGO reports, journalistic investigations, military textbooks, and personal accounts from drone operators. The theoretical framework draws from Carl Schmitt’s books, “Nomos of the Earth” and “Theory of the Partisan”.

THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: In the first part, the study examines the mechanics of drone warfare and analyzes the personal experiences of drone operators. In the second part, the focus shifts to the realm of geopolitics, exploring the transformations it undergoes due to the impact of remote warfare.

RESEARCH RESULTS: Workers in the unmanned warfare program exhibit symptoms similar to those experienced by soldiers on the battlefield. The precise and “humanitarian” elimination of enemies can be counterproductive, potentially leading to the dehumanization of the enemy and radicalization on both sides of the conflict.

CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The fact of separation from the battlefield does not necessarily guarantee safety, precision, or humanitarian outcomes. On the contrary, in some instances, it can lead to soldiers’ suffering, civilian casualties, and escalation of conflict intensity.

Słowa kluczowe

wojna zdalna ; drony ; Bezzałogowy Statek Powietrzny ; wojna z terroryzmem

Szczegóły

Bibliografia

Statystyki

Autorzy

Pobierz pliki

PDF (English)

Zasady cytowania

Wskaźniki altmetryczne

Licencja

Uwagi dotyczące praw autorskich

Autorzy publikujący w tym czasopiśmie wyrażają zgodę na następując warunki:

Autorzy zachowują prawa autorskie, przyznając czasopismu prawo do pierwszej publikacji swojego tekstu jednocześnie zarejestrowanego pod numerem licencji CC BY-ND, która pozwala innym na korzystanie z tego tekstu z uznaniem autorstwa tekstu oraz pierwotnej publikacji w tym czasopiśmie.
Autorzy proszeni są o nawiązywanie odrębnych, dodatkowych porozumień wynikających z umowy, dotyczących dystrybucji opublikowanej w czasopiśmie wersji tekstu nie na prawach wyłączności (np. opublikowanie go w repozytorium instytucji lub w innym czasopiśmie), z potwierdzeniem pierwszej publikacji w tym czasopiśmie.

Wyraża się zgodę i zachęca autorów do publikacji ich tekstu w Internecie (np. w repozytorium instytucji lub na jej stronie internetowej) przed lub podczas procesu składania tekstu jako, że może to prowadzić do korzystnych wymian oraz wcześniejszego i większego cytowania opublikowanego tekstu (Patrz The Effect of Open Access). Zalecamy wykorzystanie dowolnego portalu stowarzyszeń badawczych z niżej wymienionych:

Bibliografia

I Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, August 12, 1949, 75 U.N.T.S. 31. Retrieved from: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/assets/treaties/365-GC-I-EN.pdf (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Abé, N. (2012, 14th December). Pain continues after war for American drone pilot. DER SPIEGEL. Retrieved from: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/pain-continues-after-war-for-american-drone-pilot-a-872726-2.html (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Arrigo, G.M. (2017). Islamist Terrorism in Carl Schmitt’s Reading. InCircolo – Rivista di Filosofia E Culture, 4, 1–12.

Bryant-Lees, K.B., Prince, L., Goodman, T., Chappelle, W., & Thomp-son, B. (2020). Sources of Stress and Psychological Health Out-comes for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Operators: A Comparison Across Career Fields and Major Commands. Military Medicine, 186(7–8), 784–795. DOI: 10.1093/milmed/usaa257.

Calhoun, L. (2015). We kill because we can: From Soldiering to Assassi-nation in the Drone Age. London: Zed Books.

Cavallaro, J., Sonnenberg, S., & Knuckey, S. (2012). Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Prac-tices in Pakistan. Stanford: International Human Rights and Con-flict Resolution Clinic.

Chamayou, G. (2015). A theory of the drone. New York: The New Press.

Chappelle, W., Goodman, T., Reardon, L., & Prince, L. (2019). Combat and operational risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder symptom criteria among United States air force remotely piloted aircraft “Drone” warfighters. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 62, 86–93. DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.01.003.

Chatterjee, P., & Stork, C. (2017). Drone, INC.: Marketing the Illusion of Precision Killing. CorpWatch. Retrieved from: http://www.killchain.org/uploads/1/1/3/3/113345549/droneinc.pdf (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Creech Air Force Base (n.d.). Retrieved from: www.creech.af.mil (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Crouse, J.D. (2007). Development of Cursor-on-Target Control for Semi-Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Air University. Re-trieved from: https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA469942.pdf (ac-cessed on: 23th December 2023).

DemocracyNow! (2021, 3rd September). A CIA Drone Analyst Apolo-gizes to the People of Afghanistan [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/PkO1FO0OEw8 (accessed on: 23th Decem-ber 2023).

Department of Defense (2021). Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. Retrieved from: https://irp.fas.org/doddir/dod/dictionary.pdf (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Drone Warfare (n.d.). The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Re-trieved from: http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/projects/drone-war (ac-cessed on: 23th December 2023).

Fulghum, D.A. (2004, 20th September). New Concepts have emerged for USAF unmanned Hunter-Killer aircraft. Aviation Week Net-work. Retrieved from: http://aviationweek.com/awin/new-concepts-have-emerged-usaf-unmanned-hunter-killer-aircraft (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Gates, R. M. (2014, 7th January). Bush and Obama’s secretary of de-fense had to wage war in Iraq, Afghanistan — and today’s Washington. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304617404579306851526222552 (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Gettinger, D. (2020). Drone Databook Update March 2020. The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College. Retrieved from: https://dronecenter.bard.edu/files/2020/03/CSD-Databook-Update-March-2020.pdf (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Gettinter, D., Michell, A.H., Pasternack, A., Koebler, J., Musgrave, & S., Ranking, J. (2014). The Drone Primer. A Compendium of Key Issues. New York, Center for Study of the Drone. New York: Bard College.

Gregory, D. (2011). From a view to a kill. Theory, Culture & Society, 28(7–8), 188–215. DOI: 10.1177/0263276411423027.

Gunneflo, M. (2016). Targeted Killing: A Legal and Political History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Johns Hopkins University (2014, 7th April). The Johns Hopkins For-eign Affairs Symposium Presents: The Price of Privacy: Re-Evaluating the NSA [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/kV2HDM86XgI (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Johnson, B.T. (2018). Coded Conflict: Algorithmic and Drone War-fare in US Security Strategy. Journal of Military and Strategic Stud-ies, 18(4), 36–71.

Khan, A. (2021, 19th December). The Human Toll of America’s Air Wars. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/19/magazine/victims-airstrikes-middle-east-civilians.html (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Kindervater, K.H. (2016). The emergence of lethal surveillance: Watching and killing in the history of drone technology. Security Dialogue, 47(3), 223–238.

Kreps, S.E. (2016). Drones. What everyone needs to know. Oxford: Ox-ford University Press.

Lewis, L., & Vavrichek, D.M. (2016). Rethinking the Drone War: Na-tional Security, Legitimacy and Civilian Casualties in U.S. Counter-terrorism Operations. Marine Corps University. DOI: 10.56686/9780997317435.

MacGregor, J.W. (2004). Bringing the Box into Doctrine: Joint Doctrine and the Kill Box. Fort Leavenworth: School of Advanced Military Studies, United States Army Command and General Staff Col-lege.

Martin, M.J., & Sasser, C.W. (2010). Predator: the remote-control air war over Iraq and Afghanistan: a pilot’s story. St. Paul: Zenith Press.

Mayer, J. (2009, 26th October). The Predator War. What are the risks of the C.I.A.’s covert drone program? The New Yorker. Retrieved from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/10/26/the-predator-war#ixzz0bW1COjbm (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Maziarz, M. (2018, 15th August). Żniwiarz na niebie. Magazyn67. Retrieved from: http://www.magazyn67.pl/zniwiarz-na-niebie/ (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Miller, G. (2012, 23th October). Plan for hunting terrorists signals US intends to keep adding names to kill lists. Washington Post. Re-trieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/plan-for-hunting-terrorists-signals-us-intends-to-keep-adding-names-to-kill-lists/2012/10/23/4789b2ae-18b3-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_story.html (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Moseley, M. (2006, 14th September). Reaper’ moniker given to MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle. Air Force. Retrieved from: https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/129780/reaper-moniker-given-to-mq-9-unmanned-aerial-vehicle/ (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Muñoz-Rojas, D., & Frésard, J-J. (2004). The roots of behaviour in war: Understanding and preventing IHL violations. Revue Inter-nationale de la Croix-Rouge/International Review of the Red Cross, 86(853), 189–206.

Phelps, W. (2021). On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with Drones. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Power, M. (2013, 22th October). Confessions of a Drone Warrior. GQ. Retrieved from: https://www.gq.com/story/drone-uav-pilot-assassination (ac-cessed on: 23th December 2023).

Press, E. (2018, 13th June). The Wounds of the Drone Warrior. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/magazine/veterans-ptsd-drone-warrior-wounds.html (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), 8 June 1977, 1125 U.N.T.S. 609. Re-trieved from: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/assets/treaties/475-AP-II-EN.pdf (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Rothenberg, D. (2015). It Is War at a Very Intimate Level. In P.W. Singer & A. Coleman (Eds.), Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy (pp. 113–117). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Scahill, J. (2016a). Find Fix Finish. In J. Scahill (Ed.), The Assassination Complex: Inside the Government’s Secret Drone Warfare Program (pp. 40–53). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Scahill, J. (2016b). The Heart of the Drone Maze. In J. Scahill (Ed.), The Assassination Complex: Inside the Government’s Secret Drone Warfare Program (pp. 68–83). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Schmitt, C. (2006). The nomos of the earth in the international law of the jus Publicum Europaeum. New York: Telos Press Publishing.

Schmitt, C. (2007a). The Concept of the Political. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Schmitt, C. (2007b). Theory of the partisan: Intermediate commentary on the concept of the political. New York: Telos Press Publishing.

Shaw, I.G.R. (2013). Predator Empire: The Geopolitics of U.S. Drone Warfare. Geopolitics, 18(3), 536–559. DOI: 10.1080/14650045.2012.749241.

Shoker, S. (2021). Military-Age Males in Counterinsurgency and Drone Warfare. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Syracuse-based Airmen hit 60,000 hours of MQ-9 flight time. (2020, December 29). National Guard. Retrieved from: https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/2458584/syracuse-based-airmen-hit-60000-hours-of-mq-9-flight-time/ (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Vilirio, P. (1989). War and cinema: The logistics of perception. New York: Verso.

Weber, J. (2016). Keep adding. On kill lists, drone warfare and the politics of databases. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 34(1), 107–125. DOI: 10.1177/0263775815623537.

Williams, B.G., & Deptula, D. (2015). The Drone Campaign against Al Qaeda and ISIS: Interview with Lt. General David Deptula USAF (Ret.). Perspectives on Terrorism, 9(3), 65–70. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/26297382 (accessed on: 23th December 2023).

Zulaika, J. (2020). Hellfire from Paradise Ranch: On the Front Lines of Drone Warfare. Oakland: University of California Press.

Total abstract views : 39

PDF Downloads : 31