A Predator drone at Balad Air Base in Iraq. Much of the U.S. military strategy against the Islamic State group depends on drones.
The Heavy Toll Of A Drone War -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report
Intelligence analysts and drone pilots reveal the intense pressures of conducting a war from the air.
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Virginia – In early June, the Islamic State group's ravaging of Iraq was at full throttle as its fighters steadily marched on Baghdad. On June 11, members of the extremist network stormed the Turkish Consulate in Mosul, taking 49 people hostage. On June 15, the American government announced plans to evacuate staff from its embassy in Baghdad.
The U.S. had not yet contributed any forces to what would become its ongoing war against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. But there was a lot going on behind the scenes.
A slow creep of Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-1 Predator drones began filling the skies over the region, along with manned U-2 reconnaissance jets and the Navy’s P-3 Orion surveillance planes. Within a week, 20 new elusive spy planes orbited over Iraq and Syria.
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My Comment: This is a different take from the previous post that examines the pressures that Israeli drone pilots are facing.
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