Air Force Works to Instill 'Warrior Culture' in Drone Crews

[tekisui]

Source: LA Times

Reporting from Washington — As part of an effort to extend the military's "warrior culture" to unmanned planes, the Air Force is overhauling how it trains the crews that operate its rapidly growing fleet of Predators, Reapers and other remotely piloted aircraft.

The changes in training will affect hundreds of personnel who fly the unmanned aircraft remotely over war zones from distant bases and control their powerful cameras and targeting systems.

The effort is part of a move by the Air Force to put as much emphasis on drones as it does on traditional fighters and bombers, officials said.

It also underscores the continuing expansion of the role of unmanned aircraft in the hunt for militants in Afghanistan and the increasing importance of the airmen who operate them.

Each of the MQ-1 Predators and MQ-9 Reapers is operated by two crew members. One is an Air Force pilot, who flies the craft. The second is a "sensor operator" who controls the plane's camera and its targeting laser, used to guide missiles and bombs.

When the Air Force first began flying armed Predators over Afghanistan, image analysts were in the second seat; they are extensively trained on how to interpret spy satellite pictures.

But after years of flying missions in Afghanistan, senior Air Force officers concluded they had the wrong people in that job. Instead, officials want the second crew member to focus less on interpreting imagery and more on helping fly the plane and strike targets.

"We are rewriting the Air Force's DNA," said Chief Master Sgt. Victor Allen, who is the career field manager for enlisted aviators.

The first group of recruits to receive the revamped training finished this month.

more: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/29/world/la-fg-predator-gunners29-2010mar29

______________________________________________________________________________

We are going to focus more on striking targets than on interpreting imagery? Making the drones even more deadly.

[Echo In Light]

1. "Predators & Reapers" = culture of DEATH

[mike_c]

2. it's all fun and games until Skynet achieves sentience....

Just sayin'. :rofl:

[Echo In Light]

4. .

[marylanddem]

3. the infinitely blood-thirsty & infinitely greedy military industrial complex

at work. I want my country back.

[Newest Reality]

5. I lose my interest and condoning of high-tech

when I see how it is used and misused.

If I were an alien culture, I would cut the enraged, territorial, greedy, talking monkeys off from anymore development until they learned how to use what they already have in an intelligent and altruistic manner.

I am all for self-defense and I am not anti-gun. However, using high technology to streamline death like a cyber-cult is deplorable and hell-bent on destruction. People who get stiffies over each new wave of iDeath might as well join a Thanatos cult and make it into an official religion.

I know you have heard it many times. We spend mega-loads of faith based tickets, (money) on weaponry. We also spend billions, along with loads of manpower on making perfect fantasies for people to watch and other forms of entertainment. Yet, here we are in reality and it is very grim, (and increasingly so) for millions of people on the planet. Don't tell me that there we can't fix the problems or improve lives. Who can believe that it's not possible to do the same for ordinary lives that we can do for CGI and fun death spreading military toys, etc., etc.

That is why the French Philosopher, Jean Baudrillard was correct when he ascertained that this has become a Simulation and that it subsumes everything into itself, replacing the real, (tangible, living, day-to-day) with the hyper-real ... and the real hasn't a chance against that. Although it might sound like an absurd, hyperbolic metaphor, Baudrillard says that what is real in America is Disneyland/world, (throw in Las Vegas for emphasis) and the rest of the culture is Simulation. Food for thought in bizarre times.

[NeedleCast]

6. I was one of those imagery analysts

This was always one of the funniest things to me while serving in the military. I was and totally admit to being an "intel weenie." My job, for the better part of 4.5 years in the military was to sit in a dark room full of extremely high end electronic equipment and computers and analyze imagery. Every now and then one of these "warrior code" guys would come along and spout some idiocy about how we need to to be the ultimate killing machines, or some such nonsense.

I remember standing in formation while stationed in Korea while the Battalion Co was babbling about this and let out an audible laugh. When he asked if I had something to say, I said "Sir, if Bravo Company, 532nd Military Intelligence Battalion ever has to step up to the front line, we've already lost that battle in a big, big way."

I spent a lot of time mopping things for two weeks.

[kestrel91316]

7. I am pretty sure my dad would have disapproved of this mindset

and horrible misuse of the drones he helped to develop during his USAF career. They were intended for RECONNAISANCE ONLY.

[shedevil69taz]

9. that may be what was intended

But that's what the military originally wanted the Wright brothers to develop was a platform that would be good for recon.

The biggest problem I've always had with relying so much on drones is this: what is keeping our enemies from finding a way to tap into the "secure" video feeds (has already happend a couple times) and then using those feeds to feed us false information or even to take over those drones? Can you imagine the diplomatic nightmare that would ensue if they managed to take one over and use its araments to take out a hospital, or school? Even if we could convince the rest of the world that US personel didn't do it they would still be justified in demanding we discontinue the use of them.

At least mistakes that have been made by manned fighters the ones making that mistake had to put themselves at some kind of personal risk.

[EFerrari]

8. Age of the Warrior, Robert Fisk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfQYhU1IfbQ