Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, also known as UAVs, are an up-and-coming advancement in the world of military technology. While they have been around for a while, they are becoming more and more common, and a vital tool for all branches of the military.

There are two Air Force bases in the United States specializing in UAVs. Both are in very remote locations, Clovis, New Mexico, and Indian Springs, Nevada (close to Las Vegas). The UAVs contain million dollar cameras, and the pilots are in communication with soldiers on the ground, letting them know if insurgents are in the area, or whatever is going on that they need to know about and be prepared for, thus the term “eyes in the sky.” Some of these planes also carry missiles, and they have the capability to shoot. From Nevada or New Mexico…A missile shot in Afghanistan or Iraq. The UAV pilots are not actually overseas, although they are required to deploy just like everyone else, only less frequently and in a less dangerous scenario, the majority of their combat time is from across the world.

Because most of their work is classified due to National Security reasons, the media is left to guess much of what goes on, often misleading the public about it. Unfortunately, UAVs have a slightly bad reputation in the media as “heartless,” and “inefficient,” but this is an unfair assumption to make because the reporters and the viewers, for the most part, do not know the tactics of the military, much less the soldiers behind those tactics. This is what makes UAVs controversial. Some people feel that because of the fact that they are not “actually” in the war, it is unethical to shoot and kill, that the soldiers aren’t risking their lives to do it so they are desensitized. However, they are only given clearance to shoot missiles after plenty of observation and confirming that they are actually watching “bad guys,” and that there are no civilians present.

These pilots are trained to fly actual airplanes, but the Air Force is heavily recruiting for this new machine. For the pilots and their families, it is a much easier assignment because they go to work on base, fight the war by keeping an eye on things in Afghanistan and Iraq, (or whatever mission is on the agenda for that day) for the length of their shift, and are home in time for dinner.