Hagel eliminates ‘drone medal,’ creates device for existing medals

www.stripes.com...

WASHINGTON — The so-called “drone medal” is no more.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Monday he would follow the advice of a review overseen by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and replace the medal intended to recognize drone operators and cyber warriors with a “new distinguishing device that can be affixed to existing medals to recognize the extraordinary actions of this small number of men and women.”

Remember that new medal coming out for drone operators? Well they decided to do a do-over and good thing too cause according to Starts and Stripes the medal ranked higher than actual combat medals like the Purple Heart. The medal got no respect amongst those who are active duty who suggested it be a gold plated Xbox controller.

With all the news I read of our drone war in the Middle East it's never good. They'll strike down innocent civilians, women and children, to hit as little as 1 target but in most cases they never really know if the target they got was actually hit or even in the area and that's because drone warfare is all run on intelligence... which, at times, is complete fail. The people of the receiving end, if wrongly targeted (happens more often than it should), who lost their life, their friends/families lives, property, are injured and or maimed, well they never get a sorry, restitution, they get nothing. So I have a hard time awarding any drone operator any credit but the real blame falls on poor leadership and completely corrupt government.

Drones are great but used in the wrong hands become flying terrorists, ask Pakistan.

So, they get medals for killing people with drones.

Yet Google man Eric Schmidt says we cant have one even if its only got a camera on it.

The influential head of Google, Eric Schmidt, has called for civilian drone technology to be regulated, warning about privacy and security concerns.

Cheap miniature versions of the unmanned aircraft used by the military could fall into the wrong hands, he told the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Quarrelling neighbours, he suggested, might end up buzzing each other with private surveillance drones.

He also warned of the risk of terrorists using the new technology.

Source

Originally posted by VoidHawk
So, they get medals for killing people with drones.

Yet Google man Eric Schmidt says we cant have one even if its only got a camera on it.

The influential head of Google, Eric Schmidt, has called for civilian drone technology to be regulated, warning about privacy and security concerns.

Cheap miniature versions of the unmanned aircraft used by the military could fall into the wrong hands, he told the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Quarrelling neighbours, he suggested, might end up buzzing each other with private surveillance drones.

He also warned of the risk of terrorists using the new technology.

Source

where there does it say you can't have one?

"regulate" does not actually mean "ban". It means have some rules that you have to meet - which may or may not be a ban.

Do you think it should be a free-for-all for civilian drones? If you think it shuold not be a free-for-all then you too think there should be some regulation!

I

reply to post by Swills


It's hard for me to understand why these idiots can't understand how murderous and inhumane this sort of conduct is in the first place. In objective terms it amounts to no less than war crimes. After WWII, soldiers were prosecuted and subjected to long prison terms--and in some cases executed--for no worse than this. We all agreed at the time that "just following orders" was not an excuse.

This all amounts to institutionalized murder--and certainly no on involved deserves "valor"-type medals. Personally, as ex-military myself, I don't know how these people can stand to look at themselves in the mirror....

reply to post by Ex_CT2


AFAIK no-one was prosecuted for attacking legitimate military targets due to legitimate orders, no matter how many civilians were killed - and that was an awful lot more than there are being killed by drones anywhere!

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


Legitimate targets like weddings?

ETA: Of course, as always, they "admit to a mistake"; but, for the most part, it's just "too bad" that there were innocents in the way. I'm not buying....

reply to post by VoidHawk

He also warned of the risk of terrorists using the new technology.

Yeah this. Not good, but that's how the Pakistan people view US drones bombing them so they won't be sorry to see the same happen in the USA, like the bombing today in Boston.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


Drones are neat and all but I think they should be banned world wide.

Call me an extremist but I'm not okay with military and civilian drones buzzing the skies.

reply to post by Ex_CT2


There are those who do realize how evil it is but the air man operating that death machine is really no different to a gunner on an attack chopper or tank. They have their orders and targets. That's why it's probably a bad idea to have an obvious and corrupt Gov't in control of the military.

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


The drone war isn't going anywhere and it's kill number is ever growing, non stop, so you never know where it'll go!

reply to post by Swills


Well, it's great practice for when they start taking out a few of our own patriots. That should give them that push they need to award these heroes for actions above-and-beyond "valor." Should give them some good kill numbers too--what with all the wives and kids. High-fives all around!!

reply to post by Aloysius the Gaul


Hi Aloysius
You are correct in that it does not say BAN, but it does say REGULATE! and what the hell has is got to do with Mr Google anyway? unless he wants the monopoly on spying? something google is very good at.

My concern is this. I fly model helicopters, and I enjoy it a lot! I have cameras that I can attach to them, they are not for the purpose of spying, just for taking pictures of the countryside below.

So, exactly how will they define drone?
My helicopters can do everything a drone can do, except shoot people.
Does that mean my completely innocent hobby will have to be regulated?

And what does regulate mean? Usually it comes down to deciding who can and who cant!