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Zap him - Christof Heyns
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by YankeeJim | October 24, 2010 at 06:07 am
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Professor Heyns, the weapon is well out of the can and into the sky. It has proliferated. Unmanned Vehicles are not just the wave of the future, they are here and now. They are weapons that take lives and save lives. America is banking on them. We’re not going to run around the world forever chasing terrorists the old fashioned way. We have eyes in the sky. We will zap them.
Do terrorists have human rights? That is the question. When you have completed your paper on that subject, then let’s discuss drones.
“U.N. official calls for study of ethics, legality of unmanned weapons
By Patrick Worsnip
Sunday, October 24, 2010; 12:05 AM
UNITED NATIONS - A United Nations investigator called on the world body Friday to set up a panel to study the ethics and legality of unmanned military weapons - an apparent reference to U.S. drones that have targeted suspected Islamist militants.
In a report to the U.N. General Assembly human rights committee, Christof Heyns said such systems raised "serious concerns that have been almost entirely unexamined by human rights or humanitarian actors."
"The international community urgently needs to address the legal, political, ethical and moral implications of the development of lethal robotic technologies," said Heyns, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions.
It was the second time this year that a U.N. official has brought up the issue. In June, Heyns's predecessor, Philip Alston, called for a halt to CIA-directed drone strikes on al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects in Afghanistanand Pakistan.
Alston said that killings ordered far from the battlefield could lead to a "PlayStation" mentality. The CIA contested his findings, saying - without confirming it carried out the strikes - that its operations "unfold within a framework of law and close government oversight."
Heyns, a South African law professor, said Friday that there was a need to discuss responsibility for civilian casualties, how to ensure that the use of robots complied with humanitarian law, and standards for developing the technology involved.”
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at 07:14 on October 25th, 2010
"As UAV use grows, bandwidth limits become a concern
Air Force considers new technologies to avoid compromising operational flexibility
The U.S. Air Force is facing a dilemma: The need and utility of unmanned aircraft continues to grow, but the technology could also limit the service’s operational responsiveness. However, while current technologies may be reaching their limits, the Defense Department is also investing in future systems that will vastly increase the capabilities of robot aircraft through increased autonomy.
Ongoing operations in Southwest Asia continue to drive the voracious demand for pilots, support personnel and bandwidth above all, said Air Force Col. J.R. Gear, speaking at the recent C4ISR Journal Conference in Washington. Gear said that the military needs additional 24-hour surveillance and close air support orbits by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Air Force Times reported that the service already provides 44 such orbits; that number is scheduled to expand to 65 by 2013."