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Alex Dillon

Russell Thomas

ENG.1201.B53

13 November 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Bowden, Mark. “How the Predator Drone Changed the Character of War.” Smithsonian.com,

Smithsonian Institution, 1 Nov. 2013, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-the-

predator-drone-changed-the-character-of-war-3794671/.

Mark Bowden published on the Smithsonian website in 2012 about how drones changed

the character of war. In WWII, they had radio-controlled drones with still cameras that were sent

to Germany for bombing missions. In 1995, a new drone called the Gnat was invented which

included a video camera. For many years, soldiers envied not being able to see over hills. Planes

provided support in seeing over hills but only lasted until fuel ran out or the pilot was tired.

Soldiers also had the choice to use panorama, but it was expensive and scarcely available. When

the Gnat was created, it allowed the soldiers a panorama of 60-miles that could stay in the air

permanently if they wanted it to. The Gnat was renamed the predator and used in many ways.

After the predator was used to find Osama bin Laden, the government wondered why missiles

couldn’t be put on a drone. In 2001, missile-drones were created and were sent to Afghanistan.

Drones were then upgraded again so that they could be controlled anywhere in the world rather

than soldiers in combat.

The writer’s purpose of this article was to discuss how drones have changed in our

military over the decades. The audience was towards those interested in warfare and those who
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wanted to understand how drones have changed. This article does not contain information about

drones after 2012 but includes the ones from the past.

The author is Mark Bowden and he is credible because his information has credited

sources and is posted on the Smithsonian website. His information comes from universities and

those who studied the information.

I will use this information when discussing how drones have changed warfare. It will

help me answer questions about the differences between drones now and decades ago. This

information will also help me describe why certain drone were created.

Brave New Films. “Unmanned: America's Drone Wars • FULL DOCUMENTARY FILM •

BRAVE NEW FILMS.” YouTube, YouTube, 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpzk7OdbjBw.

Brave New Films created this documentary about drones and their function and what they

are used for, the good and bad. Brandon Bryant, who is a former drone sensor operator, talks

about how he controlled drones. The drones had clear pictures and could even read license plates

if close enough. In 2011, many people gathered in a hotel in Pakistan to discuss their stories

about a drone attack and those innocently killed. These meeting allowed them to all come to a

resolution. After this meeting, they attended a rally that disagreed with drone use. Their goal was

to let America know that the more drone attacks happened, the more they would resent America.

A 16, year old boy who attended this meeting was killed the next day by a drone strike along

with some of his cousins and friends. He was suspected of being allied with Al Qaeda but had no

proof. Tariq has become a symbol for all innocent children killed in drone strikes in Pakistan.

Brandon explain a situation where he had to conduct a drone strike on three men walking in the
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mountains of Afghanistan. He describes how he did not know how to react while watching these

men die and wished he never did it. Over 98% of drone attacks have not been high-value targets.

The writer’s purpose is to educate how drones can be precise but also kill innocent people.

The audience is those who wonder what good and bad drones can do. Many of it was written in

Pakistan and around their culture and beliefs.

I will use this information for a counter argument. It allows us to see how drones have

changed in warfare and how it has effected terrorist and civilians.

Chen, Angela. “A Retired Navy Captain Explains How Drones Will Shape the Future of

War.” The Verge, The Verge, 5 Dec. 2018, www.theverge.com/2018/12/5/18127785/one-

nation-under-drones-john-jackson-military-war-weapons-interview.

Angela Chen conducted this interview in 2018 on The Verge to get answers about how

warfare has changed due to drones. Navy Captain, John E. Jackson, said that drones changed

everything about warfare. John described war as an event where people trained to become

soldiers, and then sent to a foreign place to fight enemies where they may or may not live. Today,

soldiers can drive to a base and fight in the war from a room controlling a drone and then head

home after a few hours. Drones were used as early as WWI to help minimize the risk of death to

pilots. These drones did not include cameras or ways to keep them in the air and controlled.

Nowadays, drones can stay in the air 24/7 to surveillance enemies. This allows the military to

gain information about who and what is located there. This also allows them to switch out

workers without having to bring the aircraft back. The Navy has drones above on and under the

sea. The navy even has a ship with no one on board to do missions. The military says working

with drones is difficult because you need to keep it legal and ethical when using them. Those
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controlling the drones can also suffer from PTSD even though they do not leave the United

States. Drones will not take over all pilot jobs because they can not do all jobs that are needed

from pilots. Even though drones are very useful, communication still needs to be improved.

Signals can be lost by jammers and lost in submarines drones when under water.

The authors purpose for writing this was to get information about drones from someone

in the military who worked with them first hand. The audience for this piece was to those

interested in first hand experiences with military drones. This piece was written in 2018 and

informs you on drones that are used not only in the air but also in the sea.

The author is Angela Chen and is credible because she got her information directly from

someone in the military. I know the source is reliable because he is a retired navy captain.

I will use this information to discuss the different drones and how they are used

effectively. I will also use this source to explain how drones have changes surveillance in

warfare and how they kept soldiers safe.

Documentary, Military. “Drones UAV | Spies That Fly | Military.” YouTube, YouTube, 2016,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIXmURhOjzI.

This source was created by “Military” in 2016 to inform us about drones. The predator

drone is an unmanned airborne vehicle. The predator drone is able to see enemies in the day and

night due to its powerful cameras. Drones come in many shapes and sizes. There are drones that

can fit in your pocket and drones the size of jets. Even though drones can be excellent

surveillance tools and precise in finding and killing targets they do have setbacks. Some setbacks

include drones being shot down or falling out of the sky on their own. Since drones are able to be

controlled without a onboard pilot, it allows them to do tasks that are dangerous or can not be
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completed with a pilot. The military is currently working on drones that can withstand g-force

that humans cannot and in environments humans would die in. When drones first started, they

were able to spy on the Soviet Union and take a mile-long photo. This photo allowed them to see

100 ft tents, 65ft objects and items that did not belong on land there.

The purpose of this video was to inform people about how drones were created and how

well they were. The audience was towards those interested in drones and military. The write is

from a military stand point. The video includes people from military, CIA, and many other

places that are credible.

I will use this information to describe how well drones could surveillance. I will also use

this video to describe how drones have advanced over the years.

“How Drones Will Impact Society: From Fighting War to Forecasting Weather, UAVs Change

Everything.” CB Insights Research, 24 Jan. 2019, www.cbinsights.com/research/drone-

impact-society-uav/.

This source was created by CB Insight in 2019 to inform its readers on 38 ways drones

have impacted society. Drones are used for defense in ways like the Predator drone and small

drones from soldiers on the ground fighting in the combat. Drones are also being used in

emergency situations like car wrecks and disasters. Surveillance was also done by drones for

conservation sites, insurance inspectors, realty, inspect telecommunication towers, and many

other ways. Drones are used in many ways in daily life we do not think of or realize.

The authors purpose of writing this piece was to inform anyone about how drones are

used. This article was for everyone to let them know ways drones can be useful and reliable.
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The writer is CB insight in a research portal. This source is reliable because the writer did

research on how drones are used and when.

I will use this information to show examples of how drones are used in warfare and

surveillance and how that has changed over time.

Powers, Benjamin. “How Intelligent Drones Are Shaping the Future of Warfare.” Rolling Stone,

25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/how-intelligent-drones-are-

shaping-the-future-of-warfare-127910/.

Benjamin Powers wrote this article in 2018 about how drones are shaping the future of

warfare. The worlds largest micro drone test was conducted in California over China Lake. In

2002, the first unmanned predator drone was used to find and strike Osama bin Laden. They did

not find Osama but it did kill three men. Under Bush, 50 drone strikes were authorized, and

Obama authorized 506. These drones were mostly controlled hundreds of miles away in

American Military bases. In Trumps first weekend of office, he authorized three drone attacks

that killed thirty people. Ten of those were women and children. Predator and Reaper drones

have multiple people included with its flight and decision making. There are drones that

communicate with each other and make their decisions called a Perdix drone. Many branches of

the military are experimenting with drone and how they can use them in the future. Cluster bomb

drones are being created to hit multiple targets at once. These cluster bomb drones have a

specific target and can spread out and hit each target.

The authors purpose is to explain how drones are changing and used in warfare. The

audience is to people interested in how drones are used and how they work.
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The author is Benjamin Powers who is a reporter for The Rolling Stone. He found his

information from military generals and cited sources. These are reliable because within the

sources is facts about what he wrote about.

I will use this information to describe how drones are used. I will also use it to show the

difference between surveillance drones and attack drones. This reference will also help me

explain how drones are advancing and changing warfare.

Shonnard, Cameron. “Drones and Their Effect in Modern Warfare.” Drones and Society, 2016,

www.dronesandsociety.org/2016/11/10/drones-and-their-effect-in-modern-warfare/.

Cameron Shonnard wrote this article on Dronesandsociety.org in 2016 to explain how

drones’ effect modern warfare. The government and CIA have worked for many years to help

foreign countries develop democracy. In these countries, terrorist have tried to stop the United

States from implanting democracy ideas. Due to the United States being stuck in a stand point,

they have created new ways to get an advantage. This is where drones came into place. Drones

were already in use but only as surveillance. When Predator drones were created, it allowed

soldiers to spy, locate and communicate to the soldiers on the ground. This gave the soldiers

greater safety due to having the drone watch over them and let them know what was ahead.

Drones are also important to locate targets of high-value. When drones were only used as

surveillance, the public did not mind them much. It was not until drones were used as weapons

that the public became concerned. After 9/11, terrorist were the main targets with the drones. The

US did not want to put soldiers in danger, so they used drones to locate and kill these terrorists.

As many as 115 targets in Afghanistan were killed in the first year. Along with targets being

killed, innocent civilians near the explosions were also killed. This raised more concern from the
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public and they demanded that these drones be stopped. The public was educated that the drones

minimized civilian death compared to using equipment such as fighter jets.

The authors purpose was to explain how drones have advanced, helped our soldiers, and

why we use them. The audience is those who are interested in why and how we use drones in

warfare.

The writer is Cameron Shonnard who is a blogger. He is credible because he keeps his

information updated and researched the topic. His sources are credible because they are updated

and have cited sources that are credible. Some of his sources are sources I have found in used for

this assignment.

I will use this information to give examples of how drones are used. I will also use this

information to explain how drones have helped our soldier and kept them safe.