Drones: new MAPW paper on US remotely controlled aircraft in Afganistan

MAPW has today released a new discussion paper on the use of armed "drones" - remotely controlled aircraft - by the USA, in Afghanistan.

In "Robotics warfare in Afghanistan: For whom does this bell toll?" researcher Jenny Gerrand notes that America now deploys 12,000 remote controlled unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and 7,000 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – drones - in the Afghanistan conflict. She documents a range of concerns about their use - ranging from secrecy and unreliability, and the health and social effects on their victims, to the psychological implications and the development of a "playstation mentality" among the operators of these machines.

This well-documented 11-page paper will be an invaluable resource, and should inform and encourage debate on this particularly concerning aspect of the conflict in Afghanistan.

• Go to MAPW's download page to read or save a copy