317132by Justin OhearnFILET IME SUBMIT T ED 25- OCT .docx

317132
by Justin Ohearn
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ORIGINALITY REPORT
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317132by Justin Ohearn317132ORIGINALITY
REPORT317132WRITECHECK REPORT
4.3.3% Results of plagiarism analysis from 2018-10-19 08:28
UTC
RP A. d o cxRP A. d o cx
Date: 2018-10-19 08:25 UTC
All sources 11 4 Internet sources 11 4
[0]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Unified_Protector
1.1.7% 4 matches
[1]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45VtWgY5aNA
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https://quizlet.com/229457254/ai-scar-flash-cards/
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archive.org/stream/milmanual-st-2-22.7-t..._operations_djvu.txt

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[4]
https://www.195wg.ang.af.mil/Units/234th-Intelligence-
Squadron/
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[5]
https://es.scribd.com/document/337310466/A-Study-of-
Intentions-of-Terrorist-Attac
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[6]
www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/March
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/air-...am-terrorists-
borno/
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[8]
https://www.aevex.com/history/
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www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a487043.pdf
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https://epdf.tips/trauma-interventions-i...tice-and-policy.html

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www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2014/Marc
h 2014/0314gates.pdf
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www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/2/90/pdf
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16 matches from 14 sources, of which 14 are online sources.
S et t i n g s S et t i n g s
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Sensitivity: Medium
Bibliography: Bibliography excluded
Citation detection: Highlighting only
Whitelist: --
http://www.plagscan.com
javascript:void(0)
javascript:void(0)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Unified_Protector
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45VtWgY5aNA
https://quizlet.com/229457254/ai-scar-flash-cards/
http://archive.org/stream/milmanual-st-2-22.7-tactical-human-
intelligence-and-counterintelligenc/st_2-
22.7_tactical_human_intelligence_and_counterintelligence_oper
ations_djvu.txt

https://www.195wg.ang.af.mil/Units/234th-Intelligence-
Squadron/
https://es.scribd.com/document/337310466/A-Study-of-
Intentions-of-Terrorist-Attac
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2014/Mar
ch 2014/0314gates.aspx
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/air-force-fighter-jets-
kill-many-boko-haram-terrorists-borno/
https://www.aevex.com/history/
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a487043.pdf
https://quizlet.com/72073254/msn-303-scar-flash-cards/
https://epdf.tips/trauma-interventions-in-war-and-peace-
prevention-practice-and-policy.html
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArchive/Documents/2014
/March 2014/0314gates.pdf
http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/2/90/pdf
Surname 1
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study
...............................................................................................
2
Introduction
...............................................................................................
.................................. 2
Research Question
...............................................................................................
........................ 4
Problem Background and Significance
....................................................................................... 4

Thesis
...............................................................................................
........................................... 6
Section II: Background
...............................................................................................
.................... 6
RPA History
...............................................................................................
................................. 6
Inception of The RPA program
...............................................................................................
7
[9]
Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)
....................................................................................... 11
Works cited
...............................................................................................
.................................... 17
http://www.plagscan.com/highlight?doc=121415670&source=9
&cite=1&hl=textonly#jump
Surname 2
Student's Name:
Professor's Name:

Course
Date
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study
Introduction
Remotely Piloted Aircrafts are small unmanned aircrafts that
are operated by highly skilled
pilots. They are being used as a warfare tool by the military as a
modern technique during covert
mission. based on recent history, military planners have
deduced that the nature of future wars will
be restricted to intrastate and regional conflicts. And hence
wars such as World War One and two
where the military used balloons are definitely not going to be
the war in the time to come. The
RPAs have quality features of the modern combat.
Remotely Piloted Aircrafts plays a major role in the modern
world as due to their advance
[3]
features sensors and capabilities, they can be able to perform a
safely And secure mission in a
hostile or dangerous environment. Hence risking no
human life which is very important in a
mission. The question concerning implementation of the RPA

are not so much about if they should
be developed but how to assimilate them into the Air Force
organization. The Air Force have made
a point to develop top notch sensors which stress on
reconnaissance (ISR) applications,
intelligence and surveillance. This dissertation will address on
the future improvement of the RPAs
applications, this will increase the drone performance for future
wars.
During the First World War RPVs were used as drones. RPVs
are basically a type of RPAs
the difference is with RPVs the operator is not really protected
but just relocated to a safe remote
area unlike for the RPAs the operator is completely eliminated
from way. Today with the harm's
Surname 3
help of advance technology the RPVs are designed to carry
equipment's for counter measures such
as jammers and also perform surveillance with the help of their
highly quality Infra-Red cameras
and imagers.

In today world countries such as the United States of America,
Israel, France and the United
[11]
Kingdom have embraced RPAs development projects. It has
been declared that in the near future
the RPAs will fully replace mission assignments being carried
out human beings. These will reduce
casualties of human lives lost and will also be cheaper thus
undertaking such a research is a good
enough reason.
RPAs has a lot advantages as compared to their disadvantages.
Some of them are they can
destroy targets, jam enemy's frequencies, provide real time
intelligence, act as radio relays. On the
contrary they are detected faster as they alert enemy's
electronic systems and also creates
unemployment. This raises the question in regards to
their capability to provide real time
information. It is for these reasons researchers are in doubt
whether the RPAs will be able to stand
and fight alone or it would only supplement an Air Force
Fundamentals of war clearly explicate that the element
of surprise has made a huge

contribution to success. Therefore the denial of surprise is
paramount to a potential intruder in a
military context. Gaining intelligence is the key factor in a
military operation, it was evident in the
Second World War during the Arab Israel war
between 1967 and 1973 where use of aerial
reconnaissance was used which enabled the Israelite to
use force multiplication through the
acquired intelligence. This showed how aerial
reconnaissance is important when it comes to
winning wars. The RPAs have proved to be worth
when it comes to surveillance and
reconnaissance during war.
Surname 4
In this modern age the armed forces around the world are
starting to realize the need of
unmanned aircrafts. With the objective of reducing defense
budget, the high cost of training the
aircrew, and expensive manned aircrafts are making them
obsolete. Keeping in mind that Remotely
Piloted Aircrafts reduces all risks to human being due to their

small radar and IR signature. This
gives them the ability to spoof enemies. Also keeping into
consideration that they can acquire real
time intelligence from the threat. This has given them advantage
over manned aircrafts.
Research Question
1. How can the Air Force foster a positive culture that embraces
RPAs and RPA operators in
order to ensure they are used to their full potential?
The USAF's own projections anticipate a quickly evolving
operational environment that by
2038 will require a much more sophisticated use of remote and
autonomous systems to achieve
mission objectives and balance risk appropriately. Future RPAs
would be able to defeat enemy 4
radar, carry out multiple mission sets, and use onboard sensors
to prevent collision. Experts such 5
as General Norman Schwartz, former Chief of Staff of the
United States Air Force, believes the
future of the USAF lies within unmanned assets, due to
technology outpacing the capabilities of
human beings, such as interface devices that have reached

their logical limits (Zacharias).
Unfortunately, fundamental issue of peer acceptance and
conventional views regarding “humans
in the cockpit” as somehow essential to the services identity
have the potential to stall tactical
advancement of RPAs. A 2014 article featuring Robert
Gates, former Air Force Magazine
[6]
Secretary of Defense, noted that the USAF could only
think in terms of “high-tech air- -air to
[6]
combat and strategic bombing against major nation-states”, and
they seemed to envision the way
those missions would be executed as exclusively one
with people physically in the cockpit
Surname 5
(Pappalardo). As such, Gates felt that the USAF was not acting
in the best interest of joint forces
on the ground in combat zones.
Perennially dismissed as merely video game operators, RPA

pilots have faced an uphill battle
since the beginning of the GWOT. Some critics have called
RPA operators “less than true pilots”,
and argue that “the very idea of a pilotless aircraft is
dishonorable”.10 The root of the problem is a
cultural gap between generations of traditional pilots and the
modern generation of RPA operators
that endure a different kind of stress. This failure is illustrated
by the perception of one's value.
Pilots do not believe that the stress of, for example, flying an F-
105 over Vietnam translates to
what RPA pilots are facing today. This perception could be part
of the reason why RPA pilots are
fighting such an uphill battle, when compared to traditional
pilots in the USAF. However, practical
experience showed time and again that there is no psychological
distance between the actions of
the aircraft and its operators. For example, Creech Air Force
Base has implemented a program
wherein a full-time psychologist is assigned to its wing. Crews
are required to make contact after
any kinetic activity, in an effort to mitigate stresses related to
combat.
Many publications have identified problems in the RPA

community. A 2011 report written by
the USAF SAB identified pitfalls in the USAF RPA program
that include, limited communications
systems, training, crew selection, and sub-standard Ground
Control Stations (GCS). Moreover, a
2014 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
highlighted recruitment, development, and
retention issues preventing the RPA enterprise from
flourishing, potentially compromising a
significant strategic air asset. Additionally, featured a
report in 2014Air Force Magazine
highlighting former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in
which he summarizes “next itis” -war-
struggles he encountered with USAF senior leadership. Gates
explained the unquenchable thirst
[4]
USAF senior leadership bore for conventional weapons, such
as next generation fighters and
Surname 6
bombers, dismissing the urgent requirement for Intelligence,
Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

(ISR) platforms. In a recent (2015) article, Captain Michael
Byrnes Air & Space Power Journal
illuminated the negative cultural atmosphere RPA pilots are
being forced to contend with, claiming
fighter pilots have an unfair advantage, when stacked
against their RPA counterparts for
promotion. However, although these articles and reports
identify cultural issues facing the RPA
community, none of them address issues or solutions relating to
the lack of synergy with regards
to the USAF strike community and RPAs.
This research will identify key limitations within the
USAF strike community that hinder
necessary RPA advancement. Not only will these
findings become a force multiplier for the
broader USAF strike community, it will serve as a playbook for
the entire Department of Defense
(DOD). By providing an accurate sight-picture of gaps
in the utilization of RPAs, and
recommending solutions to remedy those issues, sister branches
of service will be able to apply
lessons learned from the experience and apply it to similar
weapons platforms. Moreover, this
research will provide senior leadership the necessary

documentation of limitations affecting a
significant weapon system within the USAF. The
identification of these limitations, and the
remedy for them, has the potential to foster tactical progress for
current and future RPA operations.
Thesis
This study will give a unique elucidation on how the US Air
Force can nurture a positive custom
that adopts RPAs and RPA operators in order to guarantee that
they are used to their ultimate
potential.
RPA History
Surname 7
In the past few years the interest for remotely piloted aircrafts
(RPAs) commonly known as UAV
or drones has really exploded and it is currently being used
worldwide. This technology has widely
spread from previously being mostly used by military to now
the where the private sectors are also

into operational.
In the July of the year 1849, the was the recording of the
earliest use of an unmanned re
aerial vehicle in warfare, which serv as a balloon carrier. This
was the predecessor of the aircraft ed
carrier in the first violent use of air power in naval aviation.
The Austrian forces blockading the
city of Venice endeavored to launch 200 inflammable balloons
at the surrounded city. Mainly, the
balloons were launched from land, whereas others were
launched from the SMS Vulcano; an
Austrian ship. Only about one bomb fell successfully in the
city, while most of the other balloons,
due to a change in the direction of the wind after launching,
missed their target. In fact, some
drifted back over the Austrian lines and some towards the
launching ship . Vulcano
Innovations of UAV dates back to the early 1900s.
They were originally for military
personnel serving as practice targets. The development of went
on during World War I. It UAV
was the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company that invented an
aerial torpedo that was pilotless and

that was set to explode at a predetermined time.
Despite balloons lacking for inclusion in the category of UAV
in present day, it had been
a technology that the Austrians had been attempting to develop
many months before, which later
bred further advancements. In the year 1915, the British
military used aerial photography in the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle and that would aid to awards them
with an advantage. They had been
empowered to capture in excess of 1,500 sky-view maps of
Germany's trench fortifications in the
territory.
Surname 8
In 1916 during World War I, the United States commenced
the development of UAV
technology creating the first pilotless aircraft. It would soon
follow that the U.S Army made the
Kettering Bug. As the development UAV technology went on,
in 1930, the U.S Navy started
experimentation on radio-controlled aircraft, which result in
the building of the Curtiss N2C-ed 2

drone, which took place in 1937. It was during World War that
Reginald Denny developed the II
initial remote-controlled aircraft named Radio plane -2. OQ It
was the first mass produced UAV in
the United States, and marked the breakthrough in the
manufacture and supply drones for the of
US military.
Previously, drones have been known to be expensive and
unreliable toys but then this ,
attitude started changing Part of the contribution to this change
was the 1982 . Israeli Air Force's
victory over the Syrian Air Force. Israeli forces used both
manned aircraft and UAVs to destroy a
dozen of aircraft owned by the Syrian military with negligible
losses. Furthermore, in the 1980's,
the Pioneer UAV Program would be created by the US military
to satisfy the need for cheaper
unmanned aircraft for their fleet operations. In 1986 a new
drone was created from a joint project s
between The U.S and Israel militaries would in a combined
project to create a new drone in 1986.
This drone, the RQ2 Pioneer, was an average-sized aircraft for
reconnaissance.
More recent case, such as in 1990, micro and miniature UAVs

would be introduced into
the field of weaponry. In the year 2000 in Afghanistan, the U.
forces deployed the Predator drone S
in a search mission for Osama Bin Laden. Initially, drones were
only associated with the military,
but the scene is starting to change. Amazon in 2014 projected
using UAVs for package delivery to
their customers, while some real estate organization have
started using drones shooting in
promotional videos. Globally, the use of drones has increased at
a rapid rate.
Surname 9
Overview of ISR
The initials ISR signify the synchronized and unified
acquisition, dispensation and
facilitation of opportune, precise, appropriate, articulate and
guaranteed info and intelligence to
substantiate ing of actions. Sea, air, space, and land platforms
are assigned commander's conduct
critical ISR roles and responsibilities to support military
operations in general. By assembling all
ISR assets, giving a period of engagement, cross-cueing and
layering of the different sensors, the

knowledge concerning a certain target, for instance, is
clarified and broadened. ISR includes
[13]
several activities that are related to the preparation and
operation of the systems for collecting,
processing, and disseminating data that supports the current as
well as future operations conducted
by the military.
The Department of Defense definition of intelligence i the
knowledge and information 's s
that is obtained through observing, investigating,
analyzing, or comprehending. The phrase
surveillance and reconnaissance denote the means by which
information is perceived. In practice,
surveillance is a systematic observation conducted for the
purposes of collecting whatever all
available data. On the other hand, reconnaissance refers to a
specific mission that is carried out for
purposes of obtaining some specific information or data. In
summation, numerous analysts uphold
the notion that the United States is symmetric warfare in which
mediums such currently facing ‘a '
as terrorism, drug-trafficking, and biological weapons are used
to attack the interests of the public.

In retaliation to the transformed threat, the U.S. military jointly
with the society at large ve ha
undergone tremendous changes in the level of available
technologies. The vast upsurges in both
information processing technologies, being the
collection of data and its storing, and
communications processing technology like increased
networking and bandwidth, seem to be
capable to completely transform the way to equip, organize and
employ military forces.
Surname 10
Fusion is a term used in the military referring to the harnessing
of a intelligence types to ll
create a fused picture of a certain threat. The intelligence
community's basic structure is made up
of the various intelligence source. This is to say that e piece of
intelligence is identifiable by ach
the source that it came from, be it from human
intelligence (HUMINT), signals intelligence
(SIGINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), or measurement and
signature intelligence (MASINT).

Additionally, these data are usually stored in distinct
communications networks and databases
whose designs support the unique characteristics of the data that
has been collected. For example,
a piece of image has different requirement from a
communication intercept pertaining to software,
bandwidth, and hardware for transmission. Also, they each fill
entirely different field types in a
database.
Still, the military cannot effortlessly use distinct SIGINT,
HUMINT, MASINT, and IMINT data.
They require one fused analysis of the unique threat. Despite
the truth in this statement, the rapidity
and accuracy with which the changed force is anticipated to act
sets this fusion aside making it
more necessary, because the information about the
enemy is presented in a timely and clear
manner.
Weaponizing RPAs
The national intelligence community supports that of the
military intelligence. The national
intelligence community was under tight scrutiny even before the
September 11 attacks. Thusth ,

those aspects relevant to the national intelligence community's
operations that Congress has direct
interest in impact the military intelligence . Moreover, the
increasing 's quality DOD's plans for
capabilities in ISR are a concern to Congress regarding the cost,
the matching of possibly rival
efforts for improving the data quality and the flow of
intelligence, and the support of military
leadership.
Surname 11
The initial testing of boosted, missile-equipped drones was
concluded in the year 2001. It
was not long after the attacks of September 11 that the foremost
weaponized Predators, fortified
with designated MQ- and Hellfire missiles, were seen flying
over Kandahar and Kabul. The 1L
first drone firing in combat was in Afghanistan. Cumulatively,
it had flown 261 forays Hellfire's
in Afghanistan, which totaled 2,700 hours. In 2003, the Air
Force would donate it displaying it at
the Air and Space Museum in the same year.
Despite the use of drones has triggering vigorous controversy,

the technology itself can in
theory greatly decrease the ratio of civilian to combatant
casualties. Similar to all new weaponry
systems, drones have posed some difficult questions.
Some counterterrorism officials, the
Members of Congress, and human rights lawyers have
questioned exactly the way in which
military and intelligence officials determine targeting
decisions. They also ask how attacks
conducted by drones affect the perception of civilian
populations about the United States and how
they comport with the international law (Byrnes).
Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)
[9]
Despite the US alliance in the Global War on Terror
(GWOT) being extensive, the
outcomes are minimal. Since the 9/11, the fight against the -
Qaeda group has Al brought about ‘a
battle of ideas existing between the westerners and the jihadist
value systems. With revolt and '
extremism on the rise, both Afghanistan and Iraq are far from
reaching the goal of becoming liberal
democracies. Moreover, the already enfeebled Alliance
has begun fracturing, with chains of

command that are jumbled and rules of engagement that are
highly restrictive.
Al-Qaeda Soviet's origin traces back to the –Afghan War that
lasted from December of
1979 to February 1989. The UK, Pakistan, the US, People's
Republic of China, and Saudi Arabia
[5]
were in support of the Islamist Afghan, mujahedeen
guerillas, who were fighting against the
Surname 12
military forces of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and
the Soviet Union. Several ‘Afghan-
Arabs' volunteered to join the fight with the Soviets, who
includ Osama bin Laden. No in ed
evidence existed of the guerillas receiving any external
assistance. In May of 1996, a group called
World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders
(WIFJAJC), under the sponsorship of
bin Laden (and later re-formed as al-Qaeda), started clustering
into a large operation base in s'

Afghanistan, where the Islamist radical command of the Taliban
had held power in early 1996. In
August of the same year, Bin Laden avowed jihad targeting the
United States. Osama bin Laden,
in February 1998, signed a fatwa, being the head of the Al-
Qaeda, declaring war on Israel and the
West. In was later in May that the Al-Qaeda released a video
showing the declaration of war the
West.
It would later come to pass that on 7 August 1998, the Al-
Qaeda organization orchestrated th
a strike on the US embassies based in Tanzania and Kenya. The
attack kill 224 people, who ed
included 12 American national. The then U.S. President Bill
Clinton, in retaliation launched an
operation dubbed Infinite Reach. It was a bombing campaign in
Afghanistan and Sudan against
some targets the U.S. proclaimed had associations with
the WIFJAJC group, but some have
questioned a pharmaceutical plant that is found in Sudan was
used in the capacity of a chemical if
warfare facility. The plant had been used for production of
much of the territory's antimalarial

drugs, along with approximately half of the pharmaceutical
needs of Sudan. The strikes did not
successfully kill any of the leaders of the WIFJAJC or the
Taliban groups.
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
Operation Enduring Freedom refers to the official term the Bush
administration used to
refer to the War in Afghanistan, along with three other smaller
military activities that are included
Surname 13
under the umbrella of the Global War on Terror. These
globally orchestrated operations are
purposed to hunt for and terminate any fighters associated with
Al-Qaeda or affiliates. its
[3]
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance is a vital
component of contemporary
military operations. Whether operating at sea, on land, and in
the air, ISR systems work best when
they are capable of providing information that is actionable for
guiding decisions during military
missions. The person making the decision could be a squad

leader, a theater-level commander, at,
or any personnel that fall in levels in between.
There are essentially three primary while employing
modalities that today's ISR uses
different electronic sensors for capturing information.
The first are the electro ' types
Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors. These are basically very
advanced (sets of) cameras, which form
streams of thorough gigapixel imagery. The second is
radar, which is commonly used during
targeting along with other combat functions. It is also used for
ISR imaging, for instance, the
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) that is used on airborne
platforms for creating comprehensive
images of the ground through the cover of clouds. Thirdly is the
signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
systems that use multiple antennas for detecting signals that are
of interest and then determining
the location of the signal origin, often prompted to detect and
locate within a short time span.
Each of the modalities of ISR requires a rooted computing
system, programmed to process
their sensor data streams at the actual time. Each of the sensor
types has its unique processing

requirements. However, some types of sensor applications are
usually arrayed together in multi-
mission loads. Thus, for instance, a particular ISR
payload may require supporting SIGINT,
seeking for signals of interest, and the EO/IR capabilities to
generate an image of the location of
Surname 14
the signal source. This form of application complexity can
bring about challenges for designers
of ISR system.
Close Air Support (CAS)
In military operations, ( ) is definable as air action, such as air
strikes, close air support CAS
conducted by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft targeted towards
hostile targets who may be in close
proximity to some friendly forces. It may require a detailed
incorporation of each air mission with
movement and fire of these attacks with, aircraft cannons, glide
bombs, aerial bombs, missiles,
machine guns, rockets, and sometimes directed-energy artillery
like lasers .

Time Sensitive Targeting (TST)
Time Sensitive Targets (TST) refers to those targets that in need
of immediate response due to the
danger they pose (or may pose shortly after) a danger to
friendly operation or may be a
highly lucrative, momentarily opportune targets. TST is highly
prevalent during operations. It has
evolved from what was called artillery spotting the First World
War era, to hunt for V1 and in a
V2 sites during World War II, to Scud-hunting during
the Gulf War era, and into current ‘
operations' with the use of UAVs. In the course of this
evolution, the time it takes to seek out a
target and duly prosecute has lessened significantly, in spite of
a marked increase in both the
quantity of the information that is being transmitted and the
range existing between the decision
maker and the target. The two aspects to TST are prosecuting
targets rapidly and doing so at
the most opportune time in harmony with other relevant forces.
High Value Targets (HVTs)
The phrase a high-value target ( is a military terminology used
in the US Forces HVT)

referring to resource or person that an enemy commander
requires in order for a mission to be. The
term widely used in the news media to refer to, for example,
Osama Bin Laden and other high-is
Surname 15
ranking officials of the -Qaeda group. These individuals
are considered critical for their Al
operations to be completed. The Former president of Iraq,
Saddam Hussein, was referred to as
High Value Target Number One before the US military captured
him.
Often, soldiers are requested to capture an HVT alive. incase if
that is impossible, they are
given the clearance to shoot to kill the HVT. A number of
tasked Joint Special Operations Task
Forces including Task Force 121 Task Force 145, and Task
Force 11 are established for the ,
primary purposes to capture and/or kill these high-value targets.
The force that are assigned to s
these tasked forces often include units that are mainly
from SOCOM and the Joint Special
Operations Command. These could be from such groups as the
US Army 75th Ranger Regiment,

US Army Delta Force, US Navy SEALs, US Navy SEAL Team S
, and the British Army's Special ix
Air Service (SAS). The term is also associated with secret US
Department of Defense programs
for capturing and interrogating leaders of terrorist groups
(Hennigan).
Operation Unified Protector (OUP)
[0]
Operation Unified Protector (OUP) refers to an operation by
NATO in 2011 that was for
enforcing the United Nations Security Council resolutions of
1970 and 1973 about the Libyan
Civil War, and which was adopted on the 26 February and 17
March 2011, respectively. These th th
[0]
resolutions were for imposing sanctions on some key
members of the Gaddafi government
authorizing NATO to implement no-fly zone, an arms embargo,
and by all means necessary, a
short of foreign occupation, protect the Libyan civilians and
areas they populat e.
[0]
After starting on 23 March 2011, it gradually expanded in the
course of the following rd

weeks, and integrated more and more essentials of the
multinational military intervention that had
started on the 19 of the same month as a response to the UN
resolutions. As of 31 of March th st
2011, incorporated all international operations that were in
Libya. NATO support was vital if it 's
Surname 16
the rebel was to topple over those forces that were loyal to
Gaddafi. 31 October 2011 officially st
[0]
marked the end of the operation, once the rebel leaders, had
formalized in the National Transitional
Council, declared Libya liberated nation on the 23 of October.
a rd
Air Interdiction (AI)
Air interdiction ( ), also called deep air support ( ), is
using aircraft attacks on AI DAS
preventative basis against enemy targets, who may not
necessarily be considered an immediate

threat, so as to disrupt, hinder, or delay, enemy engagement of
friendly forces that may occur later.
It is considered a core capability of practically all military air
forces, and has been conducted
during war since the First World War (Tirpak).
Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR)
[2]
SCAR refers to a mission that is flown with the intention of
detecting targets and organizing
or carrying out attacks or reconnaissance on the targets. SCAR
operations are flown in a particular
[10]
geographic area and elements of the command and control
interface for coordinating multiple
flights, detecting and attacking targets, neutralizing enemy air
defenses and the provision of battle
damage assessment.

Surname 17
Works cited
Byrnes, Michael. ‘Dark Horizon: Airpower Revolution on a
Razor's Edge', Air & Space Power
Journal. 2015. Retrived from:
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/digital/pdf/articles/2015-
Sep-Oct/F-Byrnes.pdf. 38.
(Accessed 19 October 2018)th
Hennigan, J. ‘Air Force Proposes $3 Billion Plan to Vastly
Expand its Drone Program', - Los
Angeles Times. 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la- -fg
drone-pilots-20151210-story.html. (Accessed 19 October 2018)
th
Michaels, Jim. ‘Drones Change “Top Gun” Culture of Air
Force', USA Today. 2012. Retrieved
from:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/11/30/drone-
wars/1737991/.
(Accessed 19 October 2018) th
Pappalardo, Joe. The Future For UAVs in the U.S. Air Force ‘
', Popular Mechanics
Tirpak. John. ‘Gates Versus The Air Force', Air Force
Magazine. 2014. Retrieved from:

ch%202014/0314gates.a
spx (Accessed 19 October 2018) th
Zacharias, Mark. , ‘Operating Next Generation Remotely
Piloted Aircraft for Irregular Warfare'-
United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board. 2011.
Surname 4
Table of Contents
Student’s Name Table of
Contents………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………….2
HYPERLINK "file:///C:UsersMwaiDownloadsRPA.docx"
l "_Toc527895256" Section 1: Introduction to the Study
PAGEREF _Toc527895256 h 2
l "_Toc527895257" Introduction PAGEREF _Toc527895257
h 2
l "_Toc527895258" Research Question PAGEREF
_Toc527895258 h 4
Introduction
…………………………………………………………………………
………………4
Research Question 7
Research Aims and
Objectives……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………47
l "_Toc527895259" Problem Background and Significance
PAGEREF _Toc527895259 h 5

l "_Toc527895260" Thesis PAGEREF _Toc527895260 h 7
……………………………………………………………...8
Thesis 11
Structure
Outline………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………….7…
…………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………11
Literature
Review………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………7…
…………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………12
Section II:
Background…………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………..8………
…………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………12
a) HYPERLINK
"file:///C:UsersMwaiDownloadsRPA.docx" l
"_Toc527895261" Inception of The RPA program PAGEREF
_Toc527895261 h 8
a) Inception of The RPA
program………………………………………………………………
………………………………..12
i) Overview of
ISR……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………1015
II) Weaponizing
RPAs…………………………………………………………………
…………………………………1117
b) The Developing War on Terrorism
(GWOT)………………………………………………………………
…………1218

a) Operation Enduring Freedom
(OEF)…………………………………………………………………
…….1420
i) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
ISR) ……………………………………..1420
ii) Close Air Support
(CAS)…………………………………………………………………
………….1521
iii)Time Sensitive Targeting
(TST)………………………………………………………………….
1522
iv) High Value Targets
(HVTs)………………………………………………………………
……….1623
b) Operation Unified Protector
(OUP)…………………………………………………………………
………1624
i) Air Interdiction
(AI)……………………………………………………………………
………………1725
ii) Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance
(SCAR)……………………………………….1725
iii) Successes and Significant
Contributions…………………………………………………….172
5
Section III: Problems and Key Issues Facing RPA
Pilots…………………………………………………………………
………1726
Generational Gap Between Current Pilots and Senior
Leadership………………….1726
i) Cultural
Perspective………………………………………………………….1
827
ii) Senior Leadership Qualifications Focus on Manned
Assets…………………1928
Cultural Bias Towards Manned

Asset………………………………………….1929
Promotion
Rates………………………………………………………………….
2030
Understanding/
Perception………………………………………………………..213
2
i) Specific Mission Sets Performed by RPA
Operators……………………….2132
ii) Education of Larger
Force………………………………………………….2233
iii)
Training………………………………………………………………
……2333
a) Informing the
Operators……………………………………………………………
………..2334
b) Teaching Applicable Platforms RPA Tactics Techniques
Procedures……………………….24 35
Section IV: Recommendation to dismantle Cultural
Barriers……………………………2535
Controlled
Tours…………………………………………………………………
…...2535
i) Not Bottom Third from
MAJCOMS/Training……………………………..35
ii) 3 Years for Fighter Pilots (In Lieu of ALO) and Back to
Primary Major Weapon System
(MWS)………………………………………………………………..
36
Senior Leadership
Perspectives………………………………………………………253
7
i) Qualification in
RPAs………………………………………………………2537
ii) Acknowledgement of RPA Pilot

Achievement…………………………….2637
Awards and Decorations in Line with Manned
Assets………….37
b) Air Medals For Exceptional Performance……………………38
Training………………………………………………………………
………………2738
i) Extensive Training of Applicable Manned
Asset……………………………...2738
Dedicated Training Block During B-Course with RPA’s……38
ii) Full Integration with Fighters and Bombers During
Exercises………………...2739
Full Range of Capabilities without Tactical
Limitation………..39
Briefing / Debriefing Jointly………………………………….39
Finding Alignment Points………………………..39
iii)Higher Standard in Line with
Fighters…………………………………………2840
iv) Moving
Forward……………………………………………………………….
..2940
i) Elimination of MQ-
1B…………………………………………2940
ii)Persistent Attack
Model………………………………………..2941
MQ-9 Legitimate Attack Asset…………41
d) Operate
Doctrinally……………………………………………………………
………3041
Not as Slave or Servant
Assets………………………………………..41
Section V:
Conclusions…………………………………………………………
……………….3042
Overcoming Cultural Stigmas Placed on RPA
Operators……………………………….30
Works

Cited…………………………………………………………………
…………………………..41
Avoiding the “Bad Guy” Stigma?
ii) Creating Mutual Respect Working Together
End
Notes…………………………………………………………………
…………………………..43
Bibliography…………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………
…46
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Reversing Cultural Limitations Imposed on RPA PilotsSection
1: Introduction to the StudyIntroduction
Remotely Piloted Aircrafts are small unmanned aircrafts that
are operated by highly skilled pilots. They are being used as a

warfare tool by the military as a modern technique during
covert mission. based on recent history, military planners have
deduced that the nature of future wars will be restricted to
intrastate and regional conflicts. And hence wars such as World
War One and two where the military used balloons are
definitely not going to be the war in the time to come. The
RPAs have quality features of the modern combat
[footnoteRef:2]. [2: Hardison, Chaitra M., Michael G. Mattock,
and Maria C. Lytell. Incentive Pay for Remotely
Piloted Aircraft Career Fields. RAND PROJECT AIR FORCE
SANTA MONICA CA, 2012. Pp22]
Remotely Piloted Aircrafts play a vital role in the modern world
due to their advanced features, sensors and capabilities such
that they can perform a safe and secure mission in hostile or
dangerous environments[footnoteRef:3]. Hence risking no
human life which is very important in a mission. The question
concerning implementation of the RPA are not so much about if
they should be developed but how to assimilate them into the
Air Force organization. The Air Force have made a point to
develop top notch sensors which stress on reconnaissance (ISR)
applications, intelligence and surveillance[footnoteRef:4]. This
dissertation will address on the future improvement of the RPAs
applications, this will increase the drone performance for future
wars. [3: Menthe, Lance, Myron Hura, and Carl Rhodes. The
Effectiveness of Remotely Piloted Aircraft in a Permissive
Hunter-Killer Scenario. RAND Corporation, 2014.
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/R
R200/RR276/RAND_RR276.pdf. (accessed 17 Dec 15).] [4:
Force’, USA Today. 2012. Retrieved from:
wars/1737991/. (Accessed 19th October 2018)]
During the First World War RPVs were used as drones. RPVs
are basically a type of RPAs the difference is with RPVs the

operator is not really protected but just relocated to a safe
remote area unlike for the RPAs the operator is completely
eliminated from harm’s way [footnoteRef:5]. Today with the
help of advanceadvanced technology the RPVs are designed to
carry equipment’s for counter measures such as jammers and
also perform surveillance with the help of their highly quality
Infra-Red cameras and imagers. [5: Ritt, Steven. ‘Drones:
Recreational/Hobby Owners Web-based Registration Process’,
The National Law Review, 3 (2), pp. 34-78. 2015.]
In the current world countries such as the United States of
America, Israel, France and the United Kingdom have managed
to embrace RPA development projects. It has been declared that
in the near future the RPAs will fully replace mission
assignments being carried out human beings. These will reduce
casualties of human lives lost and will also be cheaper thus
undertaking such a research is a good enough
reason[footnoteRef:6] [6: Bartsch, Ron, James Coyne, and
Katherine Gray. Drones in Society: Exploring the strange new
world of unmanned aircraft. Taylor & Francis, 2016. Pp6]
RPAs has a lot of advantages as compared to their
disadvantages. Some of them are they can destroy targets, jam
enemy’s frequencies, provide real time intelligence, act as radio
relays[footnoteRef:7]. On the contrary they are detected faster
as they alert enemy’s electronic systems and also creates
unemployment. This raises the question in regards to their
capability to provide real time information. It is for these
reasons’ researchers are in doubt whether the RPAs will be able
to stand and fight alone or it would only supplement an Air
Force [footnoteRef:8]. [7: Tang, Lina, and Guofan Shao.
"Drone remote sensing for forestry research and practices."
Journal of Forestry Research 26.4 (2015): 791-797. Pp4] [8:
Pappalardo, Joe. ‘The Future for UAVs in the U.S. Air Force’,
Popular Mechanics. Pp37]

Fundamentals of war clearly explicate that the element of
surprise has made a huge contribution to success. Therefore, the
denial of surprise is paramount to a potential intruder in a
military context. Gaining intelligence is the key factor in a
military operation, it was evident in the Second World War
during the Arab Israel war between 1967 and 1973 where use of
aerial reconnaissance was used which enabled the Israelite to
use force multiplication through the acquired intelligence. This
showed how aerial reconnaissance is important when it comes to
winning wars. The RPAs have proved to be worth when it comes
to surveillance and reconnaissance during war.
In this modern age the armed forces around the world are
starting to realize the need of unmanned aircrafts. With the
objective of reducing defense budget, the high cost of training
the aircrew, and expensive manned aircrafts are making them
obsolete. Keeping in mind that Remotely Piloted Aircrafts
reduces all risks to human being due to their small radar and IR
signature. This gives them the ability to spoof enemies. Also
keeping into consideration that they can acquire real time
intelligence from the threat. This has given them advantage over
manned aircrafts [footnoteRef:9]. [9: Schogol, Jeff. “ACC
adding thousands of airmen to fly, sustain drones”. Air Force
Times, 10 December 2015.
http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/12/10/acc-
adding-thousands-airmen-fly-sustain-drones/77116006/.
(accessed 10 Dec 15)
4) Bartsch, Ron, James Coyne, and Katherine Gray. Drones in
Society pp6]
Research Question
1. How can the Air Force foster a positive culture that embraces
RPAs and RPA operators in order to ensure they are used to
their full potential?
2. How can the negative culture associated with RPA operators
be eliminated from within the Air Force?
Research Aims and Objectives

The aim of the paper is to highlight some of the issues
experienced the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Pilots as well how
reversing the cultural limitations will impact their productivity.
The objectives include;
1. To evaluate the elements that hamper the development of
positive culture among RPA operators;
2. To evaluate the future of RPA operations and their use in
warfare in future operations; and
3. To recommend feasible solutions for fostering positive
culture for RPA Operations.Problem Background and
Significance
The USAF’s own projections anticipate a quickly evolving
operational environment that by 2038 will require a much more
sophisticated use of remote and autonomous systems to achieve
mission objectives and balance risk appropriately.4 Future
RPAs would be able to defeat enemy radar, carry out multiple
mission sets, and use onboard sensors to prevent collision.5
Experts such as General Norman Schwartz, former Chief of
Staff of the United States Air Force, believes the future of the
USAF lies within unmanned assets, due to technology outpacing
the capabilities of human beings, such as interface devices that
have reached their logical limits [footnoteRef:10]. [10:
Zacharias, Mark. ‘Operating Next-Generation Remotely Piloted
Aircraft for Irregular Warfare’, United States Air Force
Scientific Advisory Board. 2011.]
Unfortunately, fundamental issue of peer acceptance and
conventional views regarding “humans in the cockpit” as
somehow essential to the services identity have the potential to
stall tactical advancement of RPAs. The 2014 Air Force
Magazine article featuring Robert Gates, a former Secretary of
Defense employee, highlighted that the USAF was restricted in
terms of “high-tech air-to-air combat missions and strategic
bombing against major nation-states”, and they seemed to
envision the way those missions would be executed as
exclusively one with people physically in the cockpit

[footnoteRef:11]. As such, Gates felt that the USAF was not
acting in the best interest of joint forces on the ground in
combat zones. [11: Pappalardo, Joe. ‘The Future for UAVs in
the U.S. Air Force’, Popular Mechanics. Pp37]
Perennially dismissed as merely video game operators, RPA
pilots have faced an uphill battle since the beginning of the
GWOT. Some critics have called RPA operators “less than true
pilots”, and argue that “the very idea of a pilotless aircraft is
dishonorable”.[footnoteRef:12] The root of the problem is a
cultural gap between generations of traditional pilots and the
modern generation of RPA operators that endure a different
kind of stress. This failure is illustrated by the perception of
one’s value. Pilots do not believe that the stress of, for example,
flying an F-105 over Vietnam translates to what RPA pilots are
facing today. [12: Woods, Chris. Sudden justice: America's
secret drone wars. Oxford University Press, 2015. Pp179]
This perception could be part of the reason why RPA pilots are
fighting such an uphill battle, when compared to traditional
pilots in the USAF[footnoteRef:13]. However, practical
experience showed time and again that there is no psychological
distance between the actions of the aircraft and its operators.
For example, Creech Air Force Base has implemented a program
wherein a full-time psychologist is assigned to its wing. Crews
are required to make contact after any kinetic activity, in an
effort to mitigate stresses related to combat. [13: Cooke,
Nancy J., et al. "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems: A Human
Systems Integration
Perspective." Proceedings of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society Annual
Meeting. Vol. 58. No. 1. Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE
Publications, 2014. Pp56-
165]
Many publications have identified problems in the RPA

community. A 2011report written by the USAF SAB identified
pitfalls in the USAF RPA program that include, limited
communications systems, training, crew selection, and sub-
standard Ground Control Stations (GCS). Moreover, a
2014Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
highlighted recruitment, development, and retention issues
preventing the RPA enterprise from flourishing, potentially
compromising a significant strategic air asset[footnoteRef:14].
Additionally, Air Force Magazine featured a report in
2014highlighting former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, in
which he summarizes “next-war-itis” struggles he encountered
with USAF senior leadership[footnoteRef:15]. [14:
Government Accountability Office. Air Force: Actions Needed
to Strengthen Management of Unmanned Aerial System Pilots.
April 2014. GAO-14-316.] [15: Tirpak. John. ‘Gates Versus
the Air Force’, Air Force Magazine. 2014. Retrieved from:
ch%202014/0314gates.aspx (Accessed 19th October 2018)]
Gates explained the misunderstanding among USAF senior
leadership regarding conventional weapons, such as next
generation fighters and bombers, dismissing the urgent
requirement for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(ISR) platforms. In a recent (2015) Air & Space Power Journal
article, Captain Michael Byrnes illuminated the negative
cultural atmosphere RPA pilots are being forced to contend
with, claiming fighter pilots have an unfair advantage, when
stacked against their RPA counterparts for
promotion[footnoteRef:16]. However, although these articles
and reports identify cultural issues facing the RPA community,
none of them address issues or solutions relating to the lack of
synergy with regards to the USAF strike community and
RPAs[footnoteRef:17]. [16: Blair, Maj David J., Helms, Capt.
Nick. “The Swarm, the Cloud, and the Importance of Getting
There First”, Air & Space Power Journal, July – August 2013.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/afri/aspj/digital/pdf/articles/Jul-Aug-

2013/F-Blair.pdf. (accessed 10 Dec 15).] [17: Tirpak. John.
‘Gates Versus the Air Force’, Air Force Magazine. 2014.
Retrieved from:
ch%202014/0314gates.aspx
(Accessed 19th October 2018)]
This research will identify key limitations within the USAF
strike community that hinder necessary RPA advancement. Not
only will these findings become a force multiplier for the
broader USAF strike community, it will serve as a playbook for
the entire Department of Defense (DOD)[footnoteRef:18]. By
providing an accurate sight-picture of gaps in the utilization of
RPAs, and recommending solutions to remedy those issues,
sister branches of service will be able to apply lessons learned
from the experience and apply it to similar weapons platforms.
Moreover, this research will provide senior leadership the
necessary documentation of limitations affecting a significant
weapon system within the USAF. The identification of these
limitations, and the remedy for them, has the potential to foster
tactical progress for current and future RPA operations. [18:
No Author. USAF RPA Vector Vision and Enabling Concepts
2013-2038. 2013.
http://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/news/USAFRPAVectorV
isionandEnablingConcepts2013-2038.pdf. (accessed 22 Nov 15)
]
Thesis
This study will give a unique elucidation on how the US Air
Force can nurture a positive custom that adopts RPAs and RPA
operators in order to guarantee that they are used to their
ultimate potential.
Structure Outline
The dissertation paper consists of Section 1 which includes the
introduction, research questions, research aims and objectives,
problem background and significance and thesis. Literature
review is the next section that deals with the background of the

RPA history as it identifies aspects such as Inception of the
RPA program and Global War on Terrorism that includes
Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Unified Protector.
Section III of the paper will look into the problems and key
issues facing the RPA pilots whereas section IV will focus on
the recommendations to dismantle the cultural barriers. Finally,
section V will look emphasize on the conclusion based on
overcoming Stigma’s placed on RPA operators.
Literature Review
RPA History
In the past few years the interest for remotely piloted aircrafts
(RPAs) commonly known as UAV or drones has really exploded
and it is currently being used worldwide. This technology has
widely spread from previously being mostly used by military to
now the where the private sectors are also into operational.a)
In the July of the year 1849, there was the recording of the
earliest use of an unmanned aerial vehicle in warfare, which
served as a balloon carrier. This was the predecessor of the
aircraft carrier in the first violent use of air power in naval
aviation. The Austrian forces blockading the city of Venice
endeavored to launch 200 inflammable balloons at the
surrounded city. Mainly, the balloons were launched from land,
whereas others were launched from the SMS Vulcano; an
Austrian ship. Only about one bomb fell successfully in the
city, while most of the other balloons, due to a change in the
direction of the wind after launching, missed their target. In
fact, some drifted back over the Austrian lines and some
towards the launching ship Vulcano (Byrnes)[footnoteRef:19].
[19: Byrnes, Michael. ‘Dark Horizon: Airpower Revolution on
a Razor’s Edge’, Air & Space Power Journal. 2015. Retrieved
from:
Sep-Oct/F-Byrnes.pdf. 38. (Accessed 19th October 2018)]

Innovations of UAV dates back to the early 1900s. They were
originally for military personnel serving as practice targets. The
development of UAV went on during World War I. It was the
Dayton-Wright Airplane Company that invented an aerial
torpedo that was pilotless and that was set to explode at a
predetermined time[footnoteRef:20]. [20: Fahlstrom, Paul, and
Thomas Gleason. Introduction to UAV systems. John Wiley &
Sons, 2012. Pp15]
Despite balloons lacking for inclusion in the category of UAV
in present day, it had been a technology that the Austrians had
been attempting to develop many months before, which later
bred further advancements[footnoteRef:21]. In the year 1915,
the British military used aerial photography in the Battle of
Neuve Chapelle and that would aid to award them with an
advantage. They had been empowered to capture in excess of
1,500 sky-view maps of Germany’s trench fortifications in the
territory. [21: Dombrowski, Peter J., and Eugene Gholz.
Buying military transformation: Technological
innovation and the defense industry. Columbia University Press,
2006. Pp46]
In 1916 during World War I, the United States commenced the
development of UAV technology creating the first pilotless
aircraft. It would soon follow that the U.S Army made the
Kettering Bug. As the development UAV technology went on, in
1930, the U.S Navy started experimentation on radio-controlled
aircraft, which resulted in the building of the Curtiss N2C-2
drone, which took place in 1937[footnoteRef:22]. It was during
World War II that Reginald Denny developed the initial remote-
controlled aircraft named Radio plane OQ-2. It was the first
mass produced UAV in the United States, and marked the
breakthrough in the manufacture and supply of drones for the
US military [footnoteRef:23]. [22: Keane, John F., and Stephen
S. Carr. "A brief history of early unmanned aircraft." Johns
Hopkins APL Technical Digest 32.3 (2013): 558-571.] [23:

Jean, Grace V. “Remotely Piloted Aircraft Fuel Demand for
Satellite Bandwidth.” National Defense Magazine, July 2011.
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2011/July/Pag
es/RemotelyPilotedAircraftFuelsDemandforSatelliteBandwidth.a
spx. (accessed 18 Nov 15)]
Previously, drones have been known to be expensive and
unreliable toys, but then this attitude started
changing[footnoteRef:24]. Part of the contribution to this
change was the 1982 Israeli Air Force’s victory over the Syrian
Air Force. Israeli forces used both manned aircraft and UAVs to
destroy a dozen of aircraft owned by the Syrian military with
negligible losses. Furthermore, in the 1980’s, the Pioneer UAV
Program would be created by the US military to satisfy the need
for cheaper unmanned aircrafts for their fleet operations. In
1986 a new drone was created from a joint project between the
U.S and Israel militaries would in a combined project to create
a new drone in 1986. This drone, the RQ2 Pioneer, was an
average-sized aircraft for reconnaissance[footnoteRef:25]. [24:
Force’, USA Today. 2012. Retrieved from:
wars/1737991/. (Accessed 19th October 2018)
] [25: Ronconi, Giordano Bruno Antoniazzi, Thaís Jessinski
Batista, and Victor Merola. "The
Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for Military
Action in Foreign
Airspace." UFRGSMUN: UFRGS Model United Nations Journal
(2014): 137-182.]
More recent case, such as in 1990, micro and miniature UAVs
would be introduced into the field of weaponry. In the year
2000 in Afghanistan, the U.S forces deployed the Predator
drone in a search mission for Osama Bin Laden. Initially,
drones were only associated with the military, but the scene is
starting to change. Amazon in 2014 projected using UAVs for

package delivery to their customers, while some real estate
organization have started using drones in shooting promotional
videos. Globally, the use of drones has increased at a rapid rate
[footnoteRef:26]. [26: Young, John. ‘Unified Multi-domain
Decision Making: Cognitive Radio and Autonomous Vehicle
Convergence’, Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University. 2012 pp23]
i) Overview of ISR
The initials ISR signify the synchronized and unified
acquisition, dispensation and facilitation of opportune, precise,
appropriate, articulate and guaranteed info and intelligence to
substantiate commander’s conducting of actions. Sea, air, space,
and land platforms are assigned critical ISR roles and
responsibilities to support military operations in
general[footnoteRef:27]. By assembling all ISR assets, giving a
period of engagement, cross-cueing and layering of the different
sensors, the knowledge concerning a certain target, for instance,
is clarified and broadened. ISR includes various activities that
are related to the preparation and operation of the systems used
in collecting, processing, and dissemination of data that
supports the current as well as future operations conducted by
the military [footnoteRef:28]. [27: D'Agostino, Davi M.
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconaissance (ISR): Actions
are Needed
to Increase Integration and Efficiencies of DoD's ISR
Enterprise. DIANE Publishing,
2011. Pp19
] [28: Haider, Major Andre, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems
in Contested Environments. The Joint Air Power Competence
Centre. September 2014.
https://www.japcc.org/portfolio/remotely-piloted-aircraft-
systems-in-contested-environments-a-vulnerability-analysis/.
(accessed 18 Nov 15).
]

The Department of Defense’s definition of intelligence is the
knowledge and information that is obtained through observing,
investigating, analyzing, or comprehending. The phrase
surveillance and reconnaissance denote the means by which
information is perceived. In practice, surveillance is a
systematic observation conducted for the purposes of collecting
whatever all available data. On the other hand, reconnaissance
refers to a specific mission that is carried out for purposes of
obtaining some specific information or data[footnoteRef:29]. In
summation, numerous analysts uphold the notion that the United
States is currently facing ‘asymmetric warfare’ in which
mediums such as terrorism, drug-trafficking, and biological
weapons are used to attack the interests of the public. [29:
Dismukes, Tamilyn S. Surveillance versus Reconnaissance: An
Entropy Based Model. No.
AFIT/OR-MS/ENS/12-09. AIR FORCE INST OF TECH
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB
OH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND
MANAGEMENT, 2012.
]
In retaliation to the transformed threat, the U.S. military jointly
with the society at large have undergone tremendous changes in
the level of available technologies. The vast upsurges in both
information processing technologies, being the collection of
data and its storing, and communications processing technology
like increased networking and bandwidth, seem to be capable to
completely transform the way to equip, organize and employ
military forces[footnoteRef:30]. [30: Prunckun, Henry. How to
Undertake Surveillance and Reconnaissance: From a Civilian
and
Military Perspective. Pen and Sword, 2015. Pp42]
Fusion is a term used in the military referring to the harnessing
of all intelligence types to create a fused picture of a certain
threat. The intelligence community’s basic structure is made up

of the various intelligence source[footnoteRef:31]. This is to
say that each piece of intelligence is identifiable by the source
that it came from, be it from human intelligence (HUMINT),
signals intelligence (SIGINT), imagery intelligence (IMINT), or
measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT).
Additionally, these data are usually stored in distinct
communications networks and databases whose designs support
the unique characteristics of the data that has been collected
[footnoteRef:32]. For example, a piece of image has different
requirement from a communication intercept pertaining to
software, bandwidth, and hardware for transmission. Also, they
each fill entirely different field types in a database. [31: Smith,
Roger D. "MI-SAF: SIMULATED INTELLIGENCE DATA
FUSION FOR MILITARY TRAINING." Pp22] [32: Connable,
Ben. Military intelligence fusion for complex operations: A new
paradigm. RAND
NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA
CA, 2012. Pp34
]
Still, the military cannot effortlessly use distinct SIGINT,
HUMINT, MASINT, and IMINT data. They require one fused
analysis of the unique threat. Despite the truth in this statement,
the rapidity and accuracy with which the changed force is
anticipated to act sets this fusion aside making it more
necessary, because the information about the enemy is presented
in a timely and clear manner.ii) Weaponizing RPAs
The national intelligence community supports that of the
military intelligence. The national intelligence community was
under tight scrutiny even before the September 11th
attacks[footnoteRef:33]. Thus, those aspects relevant to the
national intelligence community’s operations that Congress has
direct interest in impact the military intelligence’s quality.
Moreover, the DOD’s plans for increasing capabilities in ISR
are a concern to Congress regarding the cost, the matching of
possibly rival efforts for improving the data quality and the

flow of intelligence, and the support of military
leadership[footnoteRef:34]. [33: Benjamin, Medea. Drone
warfare: Killing by remote control. Verso Books, 2013. Pp1]
[34: Sandvik, Kristin Bergtora, and Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert,
eds. The good drone. Taylor &
Francis, 2016. Pp26
]
The initial testing of boosted, missile-equipped drones was
concluded in the year 2001. It was not long after the attacks of
September 11 that the foremost weaponized Predators, fortified
with designated MQ-1L and Hellfire missiles, were seen flying
over Kandahar and Kabul. The first drone firing Hellfire’s in
combat was in Afghanistan. Cumulatively, it had flown 261
forays in Afghanistan, which totaled 2,700 hours. In 2003, the
Air Force would donate it displaying it at the Air and Space
Museum in the same year [footnoteRef:35]. [35: Swarts,
Phillip. “F-35 Helmet Costs $400,000 – 4 Times That of
Predecessor.” Air Force Times, 26 October 2015. (accessed 4
Nov 15).]
Despite the use of drones has triggering vigorous controversy,
the technology itself can in theory greatly decrease the ratio of
civilian to combatant casualties. Similar to all new weaponry
systems, drones have posed some difficult questions. Some
counterterrorism officials, the Members of Congress, and human
rights lawyers have questioned exactly the way in which
military and intelligence officials determine targeting decisions.
They also ask how attacks conducted by drones affect the
perception of civilian populations about the United States and
how they comport with the international law [footnoteRef:36].
[36: Byrnes, Michael. ‘Dark Horizon: Airpower Revolution on
a Razor’s Edge’, Air & Space Power Journal. 2015. Retrieved
from:
Sep-Oct/F-Byrnes.pdf. 38. (Accessed 19th October 2018)

]
b) The Developing Global War on Terrorism (GWOT)
Despite that the US alliance in the Global War on Terror
(GWOT) is extensive, the outcomes are minimal. Since the 9/11,
the fight against the Al-Qaeda group has brought about ‘a battle
of ideas’ existing between the westerners and the jihadist value
systems. With revolt and extremism on the rise, both
Afghanistan and Iraq are far from reaching the goal of becoming
liberal democracies. Moreover, the already enfeebled Alliance
has begun fracturing, with chains of command that are jumbled
and rules of engagement that are highly
restrictive[footnoteRef:37]. [37: Pickup, Sharon. Global War
on Terrorism: DoD Needs to More Accurately Capture and
Report the Costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom. DIANE
Publishing, 2009. Pp3]
Al-Qaeda’s origin traces back to the Soviet–Afghan War that
lasted from December of 1979 to February 1989. The UK,
Pakistan, US, People's Republic of China, and Saudi Arabia
nations were in support of the Islamist Afghan, mujahedeen
guerillas, who were fighting against the military forces of the
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union.
Several ‘Afghan-Arabs’ volunteered to join in the fight with the
Soviets, who included Osama bin Laden. No evidence existed of
the guerillas receiving any external assistance.
In May of 1996, a group called World Islamic Front for Jihad
Against Jews and Crusaders (WIFJAJC), under the sponsorship
of bin Laden (and later re-formed as al-Qaeda), started
clustering into a large operations’ base in Afghanistan, where
the Islamist radical command of the Taliban had held power in
early 1996[footnoteRef:38]. In August of the same year, Bin
Laden avowed jihad targeting the United States. Osama bin
Laden, in February 1998, signed a fatwa, being the head of the
Al-Qaeda, declaring war on Israel and the West. In was later in

May that the Al-Qaeda released a video showing the declaration
of war the West[footnoteRef:39]. [38: Buzan, Barry. "Will the
‘global war on terrorism ‘be the new Cold War?" International
affairs
82.6 (2006): 1101-1118.
] [39: Taylor, Meredith. "A Rhetorical Analysis of Messages to
America by Osama bin Laden." (2013). Pp2]
It would later come to pass that on 7th August 1998, the Al-
Qaeda organization orchestrated a strike on the US embassies
based in Tanzania and Kenya. The attack killed 224 people, who
included 12 American national. The then U.S. President Bill
Clinton, in retaliation launched an operation dubbed Infinite
Reach. It was a bombing campaign in Afghanistan and Sudan
against some targets the U.S. proclaimed had associations with
the WIFJAJC group, but some have questioned if a
pharmaceutical plant that is found in Sudan was used in the
capacity of a chemical warfare facility[footnoteRef:40]. The
plant had been used for production of much of the territory's
antimalarial drugs, along with approximately half of the
pharmaceutical needs of Sudan. The strikes did not successfully
kill any of the leaders of the WIFJAJC or the Taliban groups.
[40: Rosthauser, Richard Craig. "Terrorism Conflict: How the
United States Responds To Al Qaeda Violence and Expressed
Grievances." (2010). Pp13
]
a) Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)
Operation Enduring Freedom refers to the official term the Bush
administration used to refer to the War in Afghanistan, along
with three other smaller military activities that are included
under the umbrella of the Global War on Terror. These globally
orchestrated operations are purposed to hunt for and terminate
any fighters associated with Al-Qaeda or its
affiliates[footnoteRef:41]. [41: Harrington Lamorie, Jill.
"Operation Iraqi freedom/operation enduring freedom:

Exploring
wartime death and bereavement." Social work in health care
50.7 (2011): 543-563.]
i) Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
In this case ISR is a vital component in contemporary military
operations. Whether operating at sea, on land, and in the air,
ISR systems work best when they are capable of providing
information that is actionable for guiding decisions during
military missions[footnoteRef:42]. The person making the
decision could be a squad leader, a theater-level commander, at,
or any personnel that fall in levels in between. [42: Best,
Richard A. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(ISR) Acquisition: Issues for
Congress. DIANE Publishing, 2010. Pp78
]
There are essentially three primary modalities that today’s ISR
uses while employing different electronic sensors’ types for
capturing information. The first are the electro Optical/Infrared
(EO/IR) sensors. These are basically very advanced (sets of)
cameras, which form streams of thorough gigapixel imagery.
The second is radar, which is commonly used during targeting
along with other combat functions.
It is also used for ISR imaging, for instance, the Synthetic
Aperture Radar (SAR) that is used on airborne platforms for
creating comprehensive images of the ground through the cover
of clouds. Thirdly is the signals Intelligence (SIGINT) systems
that use multiple antennas for detecting signals that are of
interest and then determining the location of the signal origin,
often prompted to detect and locate within a short time span.
Each of the modalities of ISR requires a rooted computing
system, programmed to process their sensor data streams at the
actual time. Each of the sensor types has its unique processing
requirements[footnoteRef:43]. However, some types of sensor
applications are usually arrayed together in multi-mission

loads. Thus, for instance, a particular ISR payload may require
supporting SIGINT, seeking for signals of interest, and the
EO/IR capabilities to generate an image of the location of the
signal source. This form of application complexity can bring
about challenges for designers of ISR system. [43: Wicks,
Michael C., et al. Sensors Technology and Advanced Signal
Processing Concepts for
Layered Warfare/Layered Sensing. No. AFRL-RY-RS-TR-
2010-100. AIR FORCE
RESEARCH LAB ROME NY SENSORS DIRECTORATE,
2010.]
ii) Close Air Support (CAS)
In military operations, close air support (CAS) is definable as
air action, such as air strikes, conducted by fixed or rotary-
winged aircraft targeted towards hostile targets who may be in
close proximity to some friendly forces. It may require a
detailed incorporation of each air mission with movement and
fire of these attacks with, aircraft cannons, glide bombs, aerial
bombs, missiles, machine guns, rockets, and sometimes
directed-energy artillery like lasers[footnoteRef:44]. [44:
Matsumura, John, John Gordon IV, and Randall Steeb. Defining
an Approach for Future Close
Air Support Capability. RAND Arroyo Center Santa Monica
United States, 2017. PP36
]
iii) Time Sensitive Targeting (TST)
Time Sensitive Targets (TST) refers to those targets that in need
of immediate response due to the danger they pose (or may pose
shortly after) a danger to a friendly operation or may be highly
lucrative, momentarily opportune targets[footnoteRef:45]. TST
is highly prevalent during operations. It one which has evolved
from what was called artillery spotting in the First World War
era, to a hunt for V1 and V2 sites during World War II, to Scud-
hunting during the Gulf War era, and ‘into current operations’

with the use of UAVs[footnoteRef:46]. [45: Kennedy, Caroline
& Rogers, James I. ‘Virtuous drones?’, The International
Journal of Human Rights, 19, (2), pp. 211–227. 2015.
] [46: Orban, TSgt Brian. "Time-sensitive targeting adds
combat flexibility." Operation IRAQI
FREEDOM Print News 18 (2003). Pp1]
In the course of this evolution, the time it takes to seek out a
target and duly prosecute has lessened significantly, in spite of
a marked increase in both the quantity of the information that is
being transmitted and the range existing between the decision
maker and the target. The two aspects to TST are prosecuting
targets rapidly and doing so at the most opportune time in
harmony with other relevant forces[footnoteRef:47]. [47:
Cetinkaya, Orhan, and Yakup Yildirim. Architecture
Considerations of Time Sensitive Targeting and NATO TST
Tool. NATO COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION
AGENCY BRUSSELS (BELGIUM), 2013]
iv) High Value Targets (HVTs)
The phrase a high-value target (HVT) is a military terminology
used in the US Forces referring to resource or person that an
enemy commander requires in order for a mission to be. The
term is widely used in the news media to refer to, for example,
Osama Bin Laden and other high-ranking officials of the Al-
Qaeda group. These individuals are considered critical for their
operations to be completed. The Former president of Iraq,
Saddam Hussein, was referred to as High Value Target Number
One before the US military captured him.
Often, soldiers are requested to capture an HVT alive. incase if
that is impossible, they are given the clearance to shoot to kill
the HVT. A number of tasked Joint Special Operations Task
Forces including Task Force 121, Task Force 145, and Task
Force 11 are established for the primary purposes to capture
and/or kill these high-value targets. The forces that are assigned
to these tasked forces often include units that are mainly from

SOCOM and the Joint Special Operations Command. These
could be from such groups as the US Army 75th Ranger
Regiment, US Army Delta Force, US Navy SEALs, US Navy
SEAL Team Six, and the British Army's Special Air Service
(SAS). The term is also associated with secret US Department
of Defense programs for capturing and interrogating leaders of
terrorist groups [footnoteRef:48]. [48: Hennigan, J. ‘Air Force
Proposes $3-Billion Plan to Vastly Expand its Drone Program’,
Los Angeles Times. 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-drone-pilots-
20151210-story.html. (Accessed 19th October 2018)
]
b) Operation Unified Protector (OUP)
Operation Unified Protector (OUP) is essentially an operation
by NATO in 2011 that was used to enforce the United Nations
Security Council resolutions of between 1970 and 1973
regarding the Libyan Civil War, and which was later adopted on
26th February and 17th March 2011,
respectively[footnoteRef:49]. These resolutions aimed at
imposing sanctions on some vital members of the Gaddafi
government as they authorized NATO to implement a no-fly
zone, an arms embargo, and short of foreign occupation as they
protect the Libyan civilians and as well as areas they
populate[footnoteRef:50]. [49: Mueller, Karl P., ed. Precision
and purpose: airpower in the Libyan Civil War. Rand
Corporation, 2015. Pp45] [50: Engelbrekt, Kjell, Marcus
Mohlin, and Charlotte Wagnsson, eds. The NATO intervention
in Libya: lessons learned from the campaign. Routledge, 2013.
Pp17
]
The gradual expansion started on 23rd March 2011, in the
course of the following weeks, as they integrated more aspects
of the multinational military intervention that had started on the
19th during the same month in response to the UN resolutions.

As of 31st of March 2011, it incorporated all international
operations that were in Libya. NATO’s support was vital if the
rebel was to topple over those forces that were loyal to Gaddafi.
An end to the operation was officially marked on 31st October
2011, once the rebel leaders had declared Libya a liberated
nation on the 23rd of October as they had formalized in the
National Transitional Council[footnoteRef:51]. [51: Chivvis,
Christopher S. Toppling Qaddafi: Libya and the limits of liberal
intervention. Cambridge University Press, 2013. Pp17]
i) Air Interdiction (AI)
Air interdiction (AI), also called deep air support (DAS),
isentails using aircraft attacks on preventative basis against
enemy targets, who may not necessarily be considered an
immediate threat, so as to disrupt, hinder, or delay, enemy
engagement of friendly forces that may occur
later[footnoteRef:52]. It is considered a core capability of
practically all military air forces, and has been conducted
during war since the First World War [footnoteRef:53]. [52:
Phifer, Michiko. A Handbook of Military Strategy and Tactics.
New Delhi: Vij Books India
Private Limited, 2012. Internet resource pp180] [53:
Tirpak. John. ‘Gates versus the Air Force’, Air Force Magazine.
2014. Retrieved from:
ch%202014/0314gates.aspx (Accessed 19th October 2018)
]
ii) Strike Coordination and Reconnaissance (SCAR)
SCAR is defined as a mission that is flown with the aim of
detecting any targets and organizing and carrying out attacks or
reconnaissance on the targets. SCAR operations are conducted
in specific geographic area as it is characterized by elements of
the command and control interface used in coordinating
multiple flights, detecting and attacking targets, neutralizing
enemy defenses and the provision of battle damage assessment.
iii) Successes and Significant Contributions

Based on the Operation Unified Protector its main aim is to
enhance the chances for success during missions and other
military related activities. The contributions especially in Libya
are witnessed by the use of both military and civil companies
who have embraced comprehensive approach as a means of
attaining high levels objectives and goals [footnoteRef:54].
Furthermore, the successes and significance of the contributions
can be effectively witnessed by the ability to ensure large
numbers of individuals are evacuated as well as enhanced
secure corridors to facilitated coordination within the area of
operation. [54: Grant, T. J., ed. Network Topology in
Command and Control: Organization, Operation, and
Evolution: Organization, Operation, and Evolution. IGI Global,
2014. Pp2]
Section III. Problem and Key Issues Facing RPA pilots
a) Generational Gap Between Current Pilots and Senior
Leadership
Pilots have over the years been part of revolutionary technology
that characterizes the aviation industry. Senior leadership have
witnessed major changes throughout the industry that have
managed to differentiate them from the current pilots.
Experience, generational attributes and exposure are some the
aspects that differentiate them from each other since they have
individually managed to stand out as they pursue their careers
in the field. According to[footnoteRef:55], the present
economical transitional approaches have influenced the careers
of a majority of the pilots such that it is more diverse and
unique. [55: Chhokar, Jagdeep S., Felix C. Brodbeck, and
Robert J. House, eds. Culture and leadership
across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25
societies. Routledge, 2013.
Pp 809
]
In this case, the generational gap consists of senior leadership

who proved their expertise and skill set by taking part in large-
scale projects like technological advancements in either defense
or space companies. They are characterized by their ability to
exploit their influence on major decision-making forums as they
utilize their bureaucratic connections to control the available
resources. Moreover, a majority of the senior leadership group
have managed to maintain their leading positions in the big
industrial companies or the competitive corporations such as
aviation, space and oil-gas industries.
On the other hand, the current pilots who are the new wave of
experts have managed to follow a different route to success that
is more liberal and flexible to the various changes around their
surroundings[footnoteRef:56]. The generational gap has allowed
both groups to learn from each other as they embrace the
changes and new approaches. For instance, the current pilots are
able to study history and understand how the senior leadership
group managed to carry out their activities with the available
resources while the senior leadership are able to appreciate and
adjust to the new industrial changes as they mentor the current
pilots[footnoteRef:57]. [56: Mills, Albert J., Jane Neal-Smith,
and Donna Bridges, eds. Absent Aviators: Gender Issues in
Aviation. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2014. Pp291
] [57: Cantwell, Lt Col Houston R. "Operators of Unmanned
Aircraft Systems: Breaking Paradigms."
Air and Space Power Jorurnal 13, no. 2 (Summer 2009).]
i) Cultural Perspective
As an industry the pilots are governed by certain cultural norms
that dictated how the operations will be managed to ensure the
smooth flow of activities. For this reason, the generational gap
was regulated by cultural perspective because the senior
leadership was more focused on the present procedures with
minimal human input whereas the current pilots are more
innovative and willing to address issues that would make their
operations more effective and affordable. The cultural
perspective fundamentally controls how each group will address

different issues within the industry. In current times, aviation is
one of the industries that has managed to embrace for example
technology in making their work easier.
Therefore, the current pilots have managed to operate beyond
their cultural expectations as they are more flexible, innovative
and goal driven rather than just task-oriented. Based on Harris,
the cultural perspective results in option awareness whereby as
the current pilot learn from senior leadership regarding general
operations, they are also more aware of the possible changes
that should be implemented to achieve maximum
productivity[footnoteRef:58]. This form of awareness gives the
pilots a holistic approach to situations as they make proper
decisions under uncertainty or stress. [58: Harris, Don.
Engineering psychology and cognitive ergonomics. Springer-
Verlag Berlin
Heidelberg, 2007. Pp345]
ii) Senior Leadership Qualifications Focus on Manned Assets
Remotely Piloted aircrafts were initially dismissed until things
changed such that the RPA pilots got more combat experience
as compared to other pilots. Despite that the RPA is operated
remotely it is regarded as a manned aircraft[footnoteRef:59].
The RPA operators and pilots are expected to focus traditional
issues that affect pilots such as airspace de-confliction and
altitude de-confliction. Thus, this is an issue facing the pilots
because the RPA entails the management of multiple assets both
manned and unmanned. General Mark Welsh III, as the Chief of
Staff of the Air Force stated that the Air Force requires several
platforms; manned or unmanned to achieve legitimate air
supremacy [footnoteRef:60]. [59: Hoffman, Maj James C., and
Charles Tustin Kamps. "At the Crossroads: Future 'Manning' for
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles." Air and Space Power Journal,
Spring 2005.] [60: Force, US Air. "The US Air Force
Remotely Piloted Aircraft and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Strategic Vision." (2005). Pp3]

As the Senior leadership qualifications are focused on manned
assets, they ignore fundamental skills that require them to
possess the ability to manage and communicate information
effectively as they handle different structures with other
individuals as well as aircrafts. Both unmanned and manned
assets help the RPA pilots’ strike a balance between building
relationships even as they focus on their missions and tasks.
Additionally, focusing the senior leadership skills on manned
assets affects the pilot’s attitude towards personal risk since
they lack a qualification that helps them transition from regular
life and time during the mission. In this case this is an issue for
the RPA pilots since focusing on one qualification denies the
senior leadership the ability to analyze situations through a
holistic perspective.
a) Cultural Bias Towards Manned Asset
The cultural bias is another challenge faced by the RPA pilots
because it restricts their effectiveness and overall productivity.
As highlighted above sustainable air operations can only be
achieved through incorporating both unmanned and manned
assets. Traditionally, pilots were required to have basic skills
that allowed them to communicate with others and the
aircraft[footnoteRef:61]. However, the cultural bias limits
mission flexibility that will only increase using unmanned
assets since it has a higher level of risk, information operations
assist in psychological activities through advertising or giving
leaflets to their enemies. Recapitalization of F-35 / F-22 / KC-
46 / LRS-B will give the pilots an edge during the missions
because they are high tech weapons that are layered in nature
but nonetheless short ranged. [61: Sweeney, James A. The
Wave of the Present-Remotely-Piloted Aircraft in Air Force
Culture. Air War College School of Advanced Air and Space
Studies Maxwell AFB United States, 2010.
]
The F-35 has a combat radius of approximately six hundred
miles which will also rely on fuel especially when the area of

impact is beyond its stipulated range[footnoteRef:62]. Despite
that F-22 and F-35 are costly and quite effective they are
vulnerable to the attacks and detection by facilitating the long
surface to air missiles as well as the long-range interceptors that
are quite familiar with the enemies. Therefore, recapitalization
will ensure the weapons have longer combat radius whereby the
enemies during war will be unable to detect and make any
unexpected attacks[footnoteRef:63]. [62: Cooke, Nancy J., et
al. "Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems: A Human Systems
Integration
Perspective." Proceedings of the Human Factors and
Ergonomics Society Annual
Meeting. Vol. 58. No. 1. Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE
Publications, 2014. Pp56-
165] [63: Rozsa, Jordan. Improving Standoff Bombing
Capacity in the Face of Anti-Access Area Denial
Threats. No. RAND/RGSD-363. RAND GRADUATE SCHOOL
SANTA MONICA CA
SANTA MONICA United States, 2015. Pp72
]
b) Promotion Rates
The demand for Remotely Piloted aircraft pilots continues
to grow every year yet the rates of promotion as compared to
other pilots continues to mark a negative trend. The RPA pilots
are originally from three backgrounds inclusive of air men,
other pilots like air battle managers and traditional pilots who
began their careers through flying manned crafts to drones. In
spite that the Air Force trains more pilots to operate the remote-
controlled Global Hawks, Predators and Reapers compared to
the traditional bombers and fighters in a year, it requires
approximately two decades for the promotion opportunities to
strike a balance [footnoteRef:64]. [64: Hardison, Chaitra M.,
Michael G. Mattock, and Maria C. Lytell. Incentive Pay for
Remotely

SANTA MONICA CA, 2012. Pp22]
Kreuzer states that career progression of the RPA culture within
the Force is yet to be normalized due to the current perceptions
of the RPAs within the flying community and the rapid rate of
expansion of the RPA pilots. The low promotion rates were first
reported in 2012 after Senators Harry Reid and Carl Levin asked
for an investigation which later indicated that the promotion
rates for the RPA employees had decreased from 96% to 78% in
comparison to 91-96% of the airmen in other different fields
[footnoteRef:65]. The level of proficiency has an impact on the
promotion rates whereby 42% of RPA pilots in 2013 were
personnel who had acquired their traditional plot wings during
an undergraduate training program and were required to return
to a manned aircraft afterwards whereas 40% were traditional
pilots who would not return to manned aircrafts
[footnoteRef:66]. [65: Kreuzer, Michael P. Drones and the
Future of Air Warfare: The Evolution of Remotely Piloted
Aircraft. Routledge, 2016. Pp110] [66: Schultz, Timothy P.
The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and
Airpower
Enthusiasts Redefined Flight. JHU Press, 2018. Pp163]
This is a major issue for the pilots since as Stephen Rosen states
innovation will only be experienced as fast as the junior officers
are given opportunities to rise to the top. Furthermore, strong
career development is crucial in normalizing new technologies
as well as practices in the organization. In 1925, Billy Mitchell
highlighted that pilot’s promotion ceilings are key elements of a
liberal Air Force since such limitations will negatively impact
effective airpower [footnoteRef:67]. The 2007 promotion data
also indicates that the pilots considered by the promotion board
while they are assigned to the flying drones were less likely to
move to the next level. In every five promotion cycles pilots
from the unmanned aircrafts have only twice had high
promotion rates compared to other aviators. The management is

well aware of this shortcoming and hence the focus should be
on ways to ensure that RPA pilots receive an equal share of
resources as they advance in their careers[footnoteRef:68]. [67:
Lovelace, Douglas C. Autonomous and Semiautonomous
Weapons Systems. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2016. Print. Pp300
] [68: Hardison, Chaitra M., Michael G. Mattock, and Maria C.
Lytell. Incentive Pay for Remotely
SANTA MONICA CA,
2012.]
c) Understanding/ Perception
i) Specific Mission Sets Performed by RPA Operators
Remotely Piloted aircraft pilots are considered as a unique set
of personnel whose roles overtime are based on their assigned
missions. As highlighted above, research has shown that the low
promotion rates could be attributed to the people’s perception of
the RPA pilots within the flying community. According to
[footnoteRef:69], the misunderstandings about RPA operators is
attributed by the fact that they are always secluded from the
physical consequences of combat. The other officers also stated
that the job should be made available to the next X-Box
generation of young officers since according to them the issue
with RPA operators was that they “fought the war through video
conferencing which was not considered
honorable”.”[footnoteRef:70]. [69: Fino, Steven A. Tiger
Check: Automating the US Air Force Fighter Pilot in Air-to-Air
Combat,
1950–1980. JHU Press, 2017. Pp277] [70: Bartsch, Ron, James
Coyne, and Katherine Gray. Drones in Society: Exploring the
strange new
world of unmanned aircraft. Taylor & Francis, 2016. Pp6]
In understanding how, the RPA pilots work and their input
within the aviation industry, theThe RPA operators are required

to perform specific tasks that entail assisting the pilots
throughout the different phases of the mission, conduct a
reconnaissance and general surveillance on all areas of interest
and the potential target grounds and filter between the invalid
and valid targets via infrared video imagery, electro-optical,
radar and electro-optical tracking systems [footnoteRef:71].
Based on their efficacy in the field, the senior leaders believe it
has made remarkable contributions to the war because it has
eliminated the financial and logistic burden of locating a
support unit for the manned aircraft operational squadron. [71:
Bowles, Stephen V., and Paul T. Bartone, eds. Handbook of
Military Psychology: Clinical and
Organizational Practice. Springer, 2017. Pp28
]
ii) Education of Larger Force
Military education is vital to any officers who desires career
progression as they enhance their technical skills in the field.
Educating a larger force ensures that the Air Force is able to
meet the daily demand for RPA pilots who are currently quite
vital in overall mission success and
progression[footnoteRef:72]. It will also help them understand
their work description and how to carry out different activities
that subsequently affect the overall outcome as well how they
can integrate more technologies to achieve their set goals. The
Air Force is thus having a great challenge because the pilots
lack morale to carry out their daily duties especially when they
lack military education and promotions [footnoteRef:73]. [72:
Khine, Myint Swe, ed. Visual-spatial Ability in STEM
Education: Transforming Research Into
Practice. Springer, 2016] [73: Washuk, Charles M. Grounding
the RPA Force: Why Machine Needs Man. AIR COMMAND
AND STAFF COLLEGE, AIR UNIVERSITY MAXWELL AFB
United States, 2016. Pp22]
iii) Training

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