Comment Paper 4: The Effect of Drones on the Military

The structure of the U.S. military is rapidly changing as a result of the use of unmanned robotic technologies in warfare.  These changes will establish new perspectives on the role of gender in the military and affect the drone operator fighting from afar differently from an individual serving in combat. According to the articles by NPR and Frontline, the change in atmosphere of war is causing some drone operators to experience post-traumatic stress disorder. Of the Air Force pilots interviewed for this survey, 29 percent claimed that they were suffering from high levels of fatigue and stress. It seems obvious to me that drone pilots would experience such high levels of stress. I cannot imagine spending 12 hours a day, 7 days a week watching a group of civilians who I may accidentally kill from later launching a drone strike to attack a terrorist in that area. The Frontline article argues that only 4 percent of drone operators experience PTSD, in comparison to 12-14 percent of troops on the ground in Iraq. There needs to be a way to separate the individuals who set off the drone strike from the individual who watches over the area for the days before the attack. Separation of the surveillance team from the drone strike team could be beneficial to the drone operators. Another method of reform could be improving the accuracy of the drones so they are less likely to kill noncombatants. If more innocent lives were saved, drone operators would experience lower levels of stress. Reform must be put in place to lower these high levels of stress, even if the level of post-traumatic stress disorder is lower for drone operators in comparison to troops serving in combat. 

In addition to high stress levels, the use of drones has affected the role of gender in the military. In the past, women were barred from performing in combat. Blanchard’s article discusses that with drone warfare there is no longer a physical restriction to lessen the likelihood that women will serve in the military. As a result, women may be able to work more as drone operators in the military. However, I do not think drones will have a large effect with altering the number of women participants serving in the military. In today’s present society, women are supposed to be treated equally to men in the military. There has been a rise of women in the Army and Air Force in recent years as a result of the equal right to serve the United States. As the idea of drone warfare continues to grow more respectable in the military, both men and women will become attracted to the drone operator position. However, the high levels of stress may lead to people avoiding this position no matter if they are a woman or a man. Reform is essential to successfully implement the changes to the military and negative impact to soldiers that may result from drone warfare.