Drone Warfare: Ethical Controversies and Voices of Experience

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or ‘drones’ has drastically increased in the last two decades. That increase has been accompanied by a rise in anxiety – both among the general public and military ethicists – about the ethical challenges that arise with the use of these weapons. In this thesis, I explore these ethical controversies both by reviewing existing literature and offering my own analysis of the issues. Following my initial survey, I conclude by putting the ethical issues I identify in conversation with my proprietary interviews with members of the U.S. Army and Air Force. Accordingly, this thesis is a combination of exclusive interviews I obtained as part of my research, which are included as transcripts, and a survey and detailed exploration of the ethical issues that arise with the use of ‘drones’ in warfare.