War has always been an immoral part of life, but it is necessary to protect one’s home and loved ones while also defending their ideas and beliefs. One of the worst parts of war is when innocent civilians get caught up in the middle of the fighting. In World War Two, the number of civilian casualties were around forty-five million. Since then, technology has come a long way. The most recent of these technological achievements has been the development of drones, which are unmanned aircraft with both surveillance and offensive capabilities. Unmanned aircraft has been used for surveillance for many years. They began to spot high profile targets such as Osama Bin Laden or other terrorist group leaders once they were deployed in the Middle East. After being unable to react fast enough to eliminate these targets, the question of arming these unmanned drones with weapons was raised.  The United States military began arming drones in the War on Terror in the Middle East in 2004, and since then the technology and weapons have become more advanced each year. Due to these technological advancements, the U.S. military can do a better job of keeping innocent civilians out of harm’s way while still eliminating targets that prove a threat to the United States. Since taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama has said that between sixty four to one hundred and sixteen civilians have been killed while 2,372 to 2,581 enemy combatants have been killed (Liptak). Compared to the civilian deaths of World War Two, drone warfare is more effective at eliminating the right human target. The United States use of military drones and the policies surrounding their use are the most effective way to conduct war due to the advanced and concise technology of today’s day and age. 

The two largest wars known to man have been World War One and Two, and both wars saw the introduction of many new tools of war, such as tanks, planes, and chemical gas. However, World War II had these weapons on an even larger scale as the first, and they were deadlier than before. During World War II, scientists made new improvements to the weapons of World War I and designed them to kill as many people as possible. The weapons being developed also focused mainly on quantity over quality. The number of planes made in the United States was around 276,000 with about about 7.9 million bombs were dropped overseas (WWII Aircraft Facts). Unfortunately, protecting the users of these new weapons of war was not a high priority and the sheer number of soldiers killed in World War II is staggering. On average, 6,600 servicemen in the Air Force died per month, which is about 220 soldiers killed per day. Forty thousand airmen were killed in action with another 18,000 wounded. When the number of soldiers killed in action are added with the number that went missing in action or those killed in camps after being captured, casualties were around 121,000. These statistics came from The World War II Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to educating future generations on the statistics and stories of the war. A war like that will never happen again due to the technological improvements made throughout the years. However, instead of trench warfare causing thousands of deaths, countries now have nuclear Drones have been one of the largest of these improvements. They have also changed the way we gather information. It used to be sending out a man on horseback to get estimations of numbers, and then armies began sending people up in hot air balloons to spot incoming attacks with estimations on how many people there were. Once planes were invented, armies began sending pilots to spot enemy camps and movements, but often times they were shot down. Every few years, some new technology came out that changed the way we gathered information, which leads us to the drone.  The United States military has pushed for more drone usage because they are cheaper than a plane requiring a pilot, the person who is flying the drone is in a safe and secure location, and thanks to advanced targeting technology, it usually only takes one missile to kill or destroy the intended target. If our military were to stop innovating drones or were to stop using them, other countries would continue to innovate and improve their drones. The United States remains one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. This gives us the edge we need in battle to get the job done with the fewest casualties possible. Drones have revolutionized the way war is fought, making way for a somewhat safer method of eliminating threats while keeping our soldiers live and the lives of civilians out of harm’s way. 

There are many different things to look at while deciding whether or not drone use is the most effective method of conducting war. A few of these consist of cost, reliability, and effectiveness. The first reason drone use is the most effective is due to its low cost. The Reaper is outfitted with missiles to track enemy targets and eliminate them should the opportunity arise. It was designed by the U.S. military to replace the larger, costlier Predator drone.  It costs around twelve million dollars to manufacture and, depending on the size of its payload, around thirty thousand dollars per hour to fly. Smaller drones with smaller weapons attached that are mainly used for surveillance are around six to seven million dollars to manufacture and cost 2500 to 3500 dollars per hour to fly (Understanding Drones). These are much less expensive compared to a manned F-35 fighter jet, costing almost ninety-one million dollars to manufacture alone (McLean). War is never inexpensive, but it is better to spend money on things that are the most cost effective and get the job done. The next aspect to look at on drones are their reliability. When it comes to surveillance, a drone can stay in the air roughly thirty-two hours before having to land to refuel (The 10 longest range unmanned aerial vehicles). This lets our Military watch a specific region for an extended period of time, allowing them to wait for the opportune moment to strike to do the most amount of damage but also wait for civilian presence to clear. Another aspect of reliability is how accurate missile strikes are after being fired from the drone. With technology becoming more advanced every day, our weapons have gotten more accurate with less of a margin for things to go wrong. One example of an accurate attack took place in Pakistan, where a drone missile was flown into a farm house. It killed five foreign fighters but left all the other buildings around it unscathed and no civilians were hurt in the attack. The final aspect to look at is effectiveness. From when our government started using drones to August 2015, the New America Foundation accounted for drones playing a role in the deaths of sixty four militant leaders, thirty-eight of them being high level Taliban and al-Qai’da members (Johnston, 2015). When President Barack Obama began to be criticized on his plan of using drones, he stood his ground on drone use, stating that “our actions are effective” (Seeker Daily, 2015). When looking at all the facts, the reader can better make a judgement on their thoughts on drones rather than basing their opinion off of a few pieces of news they heard on the TV. 

Public opinion on drone use, from my findings, are often times formed without having all the information. The media tends to only report on when innocent civilians are caught up in the middle of the fighting and civilian casualties take place. Many times they leave out the pros of the attack and what all it accomplished, such as who all the drones helped eliminate. Also, many people think that drone pilots have a “Playstation Mentality,” and that they are disconnected from the fight itself since most times the drone they are flying are hundreds of miles away. This disconnection from the fight itself leads people to believe they are desensitized to what they are firing at. Many critics of drone use do not fully understand the precautions and guidelines that must be met before a drone strike can be called in as well. All of these things must be taken into consideration when taking a stance on drone use in the Middle East. Drones have helped eliminate somewhere between 2,372 and 2,581 enemy soldiers, ranging from basic recruits to high ranking officials. Drones help keep a watchful eye out for any time-sensitive targets that may appear and eliminate the target before they can get away. One thing that makes the use of drones so helpful in the War on Terror are the problems it causes for communication. With drones constantly watching active terrorist areas, these terrorists cannot use any wireless devices to communicate plans, they are unable to meet in large groups, and there have been many arguments over who should be leader. The United States military has learned that many times no one wants to step up as their leader due to the fear of drone strikes killing high profile targets (Byman,33). These attacks could not have been executed without the use of drones in the area, and many of those targets may still be alive without our drones killing them. 

The next topic to understand is the impact flying drones have on drone pilots. Many people think that drone pilots think since they are launching missiles at targets hundreds of miles away and they are watching it through a computer screen, the pilots begin to think it feels more like a video game than real life. Many people have called this thought as a “PlayStation mentality” or “joystick operators” (Marouf 109). This is not the case. Many drone pilots resign after only a few years in service, many of which developed a number of mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, or a type of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. According to the Society of Federal Health Professionals, most soldiers seem to get their PTSD from the mentality of killing and being responsible for the killing. This affects both ground troops and drone operators (Chappelle). Each one of those pilots are trained professionals, and understand that when they press the button, people will die. Thinking that those pilots consider their job a game is disrespectful, and they should be treated with the same respect as any other man or women who serves their country. 

The final thing to take into account when forming an opinion on drone use in the Middle East is fully understanding the precautions and guidelines that are in place regarding drone warfare. Fox News reported that these military guidelines include an approval from the President before each drone strike is carried out, and they must have a “near certainty” standard before the order can be approved, as a “near certainty” attack is the highest standard our military can set (US discloses more conditions for lethal drone strikes). Our military has done their best to create a system of keeping innocent civilians out of harm’s way while also allowing them to eliminate those that would seek to kill American citizens or carry out attacks on United States land. All of these things show American citizens that not only are drones effective at what they do, they try to keep innocent lives out of the way when carrying out attacks. 

The opposing side to argument are made up of many different topics, but the main ones are civilian casualties and the effect our drone use is having on the people and culture. According to Jon Boone, a writer for The Guardian, our military’s use of drones are having a serious effect on countries in the Middle East and that the statistics our government has released to the public are false. He listed an instance where a drone was used to blow up a bus with two terrorists in it but also killed the two innocent civilians driving the truck as well. One magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, raises a different point. In one article, claimed that “the secrecy of CIA operations means that they do not get scrutinized under any international law, and other countries could argue that they are entitled to use armed drones at will, too” (Mulrine). While both of these articles raise valid arguments, they do not present another plan of action should our military stop using drones. Many people have thought about these alternatives, but most of them leave us in a worse position than where we started. If we were to pull back our drones and only use ground troops, there would still be civilian casualties and we would be putting more American lives in danger. The locals would still join the terrorist groups and so their numbers would continue to grow. Another strategy we could do is to pull out of the Middle East completely, both ground troops and drones. This may have the worst outcome, as the terrorist groups would grow quickly without American forces keeping pressure on them. Eventually, more large scale terrorist attacks would happen across the globe. The policy we have in place with drones allows us to eliminate enemy combatants, do our best to keep surveillance on them and not put American lives at risk while protecting our country. Another controversial case regarding drone use was when a drone was used to kill a number of terrorists in the area, but killed two Americans in the process. However, these two Americans were suspected of having joined ISIS before hand. An associated press poll asked if it was acceptable to carry out drone strikes against Americans that had joined ISIS, and two thirds of the people they polled thought it was an acceptable course of action (The Pros And Cons Of Drone Warfare). Some groups believe that our dependence on technology may be a mistake, and that it would make our army weaker in the long run if we put the responsibility of war in a machine. If our military was to have self flying drones capable of carrying out attacks on their own, some are worried that it would not be able to differentiate between civilian or combatant (Kreps). It may not be a perfect system, but it is the best plan of action we have today. In 2012, President Barack Obama was asked for his thoughts on drone use by CNN, and replied by saying it, “is something we have to struggle with. If you don’t, you end up bending rules thinking that the ends always justify the means. That’s not been our tradition. That’s not who we are as a country” (Drone strikes kill, maim, and traumatize too many civilians). As stated before, drones may not be a perfect system, but it’s the best we have to work with. 

In conclusion, drones remain the most effective form of war today. These deadly killers are changing the way war is fought, being able to take out a whole truck load of enemies or even a building of them at the press of a button. They remain the most efficient, cost effective weapons of war while we never have to risk a single American life when carrying out attacks. While there are civilian casualties, the harsh realization is that these things happen in war. Our government has tried to find the best way to reduce casualties while eliminating the enemy. War has always been a very immoral part of life, but is necessary to protect our country, our family, and our freedom. With all the technological improvements that have been made to drones each year, we can only assume these weapons will continue to get more effective as time goes on. Our military should continue their use of drones until the terrorist threat is eliminated.
