Little attention has been paid in the past to America’s remote control warriors, the pilots of the ever-growing number of drones looming over the skies of several nations, lobbing missiles at suspects from bases in Nevada.
But a new Air Force study on the pilots of those drones shows a surprisingly high level of stress among them, with 29 percent facing “burnout” from long hours, as commanders look to meet administration goals of escalation with a relatively small number of button-pushers. 17 percent are described as showing signs of “clinical distress.”
Top officials are mostly shrugging the figures off as a factor of a “surge mode” that’s been going on in drones since 2007. But another factor, less analyzed in the report, suggests that the drones haven’t depersonalized killing nearly as much as officials had hoped.
“When they’re involved with missions when they’re observing people over long periods of time, and then they either kill them or see them killed, it does cause them to re-think aspects of their life and it can be bothersome,” noted Lt. Col. Kent McDonald.
McDonald too sought to downplay this as a serious cause, saying that many of the operators had been deployed in combat missions in the past and were traumatized by that, not the drones. But with drone warfare the wave of the future for the US, there will be plenty of opportunities for this study to revisit the impact that high resolution camera-based killing has on people.
X-box 360, why the reference to a full circle degree of vision, are they not really blind _ss flying robo rats, what could go rong, coming to an arcade on a globe near a family fun “center” somewhare remote & outta sight as it can’t happen to far from whatever or brandished anywhare, what with pin point accuracy & now new & improved whitewashed full auto sleeper hair trigger tone loc, be the first in yer bloc
They are not only killers, they are cowardly killers. The suicide bomber also suffer burnout, but the real kind. So where is the difference?
This article brought a tear to my eye. Those poor 'killers' suffering all alone in their comfy chairs while they blow people to bits.
Fair breaks your heart. And it's all in such a noble cause: American domination of the world!
http://www.dangerouscreation.com
Ahhhh…. Did the button pushing killers feel a twinge of conscience from time to time? How sad. Too bad. They actively CHOSE to do the killing while the innocent never asked to be helped off this mortal coil.
Even cowards cry.
How very, very, very sad. My heart bleeds for these soft-hearted little darlings.
Truly pitiful. No snark meant. This is what it means to work for the US death machine. It disintegrates its targets and grinds its operatives to powder in the process of destroying their souls. This is not meant as sympathy. These poor wretches are little better off than those they kill. And to their bosses they are just more bodies to throw into the killing machine, really of little more concern than the men they execute. This is the human toll of empire.
“When they’re involved with missions when they’re observing people over long periods of time, and then they either kill them or see them killed, it does cause them to re-think aspects of their life and it can be bothersome,” noted Lt. Col. Kent McDonald.
Wow, you have no idea how much this ticked me off. Words really can't describe it. People like McDonald make me sick. "Bothersome" Do you think so you nut bag? The only people who aren't traumatized by these kinds of actions are the ones that are mentally ill in the first place. I guess that's what they would say about me, I'm "Bothered" by my actions in war. Ya I'm bothered all right and trust me I "re-think many aspects of my life", over and over and over for the last 20 plus years.
I hope this man gets to share the nightmares that the rest of us have.
Quelle dommage
Could it be the 'video-game mentality' the govt hoped for is starting to show some cracks?
Disgusting – Oh well you poor babies asked to be part of the killing machine.
There's still time for these misguided creatures to repent of their sins (both religiously and politically) and join the fight to restore liberty.
No mention of the Purple Heart controversy for no award for Post-Traumatic Gamers thumb or permanent scarring from Cheetos.
My humble suggestion would be "The Orange Thumb For Exemplary Cowardice and Genocidal Murder".
I bet they are burned out! I bet the death camp guards and SS soldiers involved in genocide also had psychological problems relating to their intense guilt. If you stain your hands with the blood of humans then you can expect that to happen. I hope they repent of their evil.
Sounds like we need robots or zombies "piloting" drones. This would make for a great zombie movie- the military's need for beings that can do human tasks but without suffering stress, without doctor's visits- most importantly, without a conscience. If hollywood weren't in the pocket of the necons, they'd actually do it.
Here's a novel idea: take the weapons systems off of the drones and use them for reconnaissance only.
Don't worry folks. In development are drones that will guide themselves and have facial id software. Better yet, they will be capable of determining who needs to die without consulting a human being. Problem solved.
The futures gonna be awesome, kids.