Drone Strikes and Blowback

Drone strikes have become a new form of warfare with unprecedented collateral damage. The trauma of living under drones fuels anti-American sentiment and aids recruitment to armed groups that engage in terrorism. This unintended impact, known as blowback, is a major obstacle to countering terrorism.

Designed to be both a hunter and an intelligence-gathering platform, drones are a marvel of technology: a remotely controlled aircraft that can hover above a battlefield for hours hoovering up information through a TV camera, infrared sensor, and other sensors before taking out enemy combatants with missiles or laser guided bombs. The MQ-9 Reaper, the most advanced drone, is a “hunter-killer” capable of destroying vehicles and buildings with the push of a button.

The Biden administration has shown no sign of abandoning its reliance on drones even as it withdraws from Afghanistan and moves to counter Russian influence in the region. Instead, the US has sought to expand its reach by adopting a policy called Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG) that allows commanders greater leeway to conduct strikes outside declared battlefields.

The PPG has also made it easier for the United States to carry out signature strikes, where a target’s identity is not known but their “pattern of life” or behavior suggests that they are engaged in terrorist activity. These operations have been criticized as a violation of human rights and have led to civilian casualties that could be avoided. Moreover, they have been difficult to defend in the face of public scrutiny.