The lack of transparency surrounding the US use of drones has come under the spotlight over the past few weeks during the hearings to confirm John Brennan as head of the CIA. US politicians, journalists and campaigners have rightly criticised… Read More ›
“What is needed is a clear understanding of the issues involved so that informed decisions can be made.” The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems, MoD 2011 In 2011 the MoD published its policy document on the use of armed… Read More ›
The Times is today reporting that the UK Defence Select Committee is to hold an inquiry into the use of armed drones: Members of the Commons Defence Select Committee are to investigate the deployment of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in… Read More ›
Drone Campaign Network launch new petition Drone Wars UK is a member of the Drone Camapign Network, an network of NGO’s and local groups in the UK campaigning on the use of drones. The network has launched a new campaign to… Read More ›
Our post last week analysing the available information about UK drone strikes in Afghanistan was covered by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, as well as The Daily Mail (which interestingly included criticism of some strikes by a retired British Major… Read More ›
A little over a year ago I discovered someone in the MoD had written a document called ‘An Unmanned Combat Air Systems Concept of Use’. It was mentioned in Defence Reporter, a useful bi-annual bulletin on research being carried out by… Read More ›
An ‘opinion’ piece’ for Defence Management Journal I was asked to write this week: The news this week that four Afghan civilians had been killed and two injured in a British Reaper UAV strike has sparked the latest skirmish in the battle… Read More ›
The UK MOD has this week refused to answer a parliamentary question on whether UK drones in Afghanistan are firing thermobaric weapons. Oxford East MP Andrew Smith enquired whether any of the 84 ‘Hellfire AGM114′ missiles that Defence Secretary Dr Liam… Read More ›
The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has released two videos showing attacks by British Reaper drones. The two videos, released via youtube, shows a drone missile “neutralising” a ‘Taliban bomb factory’ and another killing someone allegedly planting an improvised explosive device. While the… Read More ›
