Got Drones? The Problem With UAV Proliferation

I was surprised recently to read about the suspected use of surveillance drones by the government of Syria in its deadly attacks against rebels. My initial reaction was: Syria has drones? This may come as no surprise for those who are well informed on global military matters (there’s speculation that Syria manufactures its own drones, though they are thought to be based on Iranian design). But I think many Americans, like me, would be surprised to learn just how widespread drones are now – and that the United States has lots of company in this department.

Israel pioneered the field, and is a major player in the global market for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Not only do the Israelis make a full range of drones for their own military and security purposes, they sell their pilotless aircraft far and wide. Israeli clients range from Azerbaijan to the United States, which has used Israeli-made surveillance drones along the border with Mexico. We’re talking unarmed drones, not the Predators loaded with missiles that the US uses to target suspected terrorists in places like Pakistan and Yemen.

Washington isn’t against selling drones either, even the armed ones. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Obama Administration is pushing to sell US-made armed drones to NATO allies like Turkey and Italy. Britain has already purchased some. Some in Congress object to spreading the lethal technology around. But the reality is that several countries, including Iran and China, are thought to be developing their own armed drones.

This proliferation of drones is evident closer to home too. Many of our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere have them.

Brazil, for example, employs drones for all kinds of law enforcement surveillance, especially in its remote Amazon region. Remotely-piloted aircraft come in handy when tracking drug traffickers or illegal logging operations. Brazil uses both locally-designed aircraft, and ones imported from Israel. The Brazilian government is said to be planning to use UAVs to beef up security when it hosts the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Then there’s Mexico. The United States has been flying surveillance drones south of the border, too, as part of its efforts to help the Mexican government’s war against the narcos. But Mexico has also bought its own drones from Israel in the past, and there’s speculation that it’s about to get some more (bigger ones, perhaps). I suspect officials will have to spend an increasing amount of time coordinating the unmanned flight patterns near the US-Mexico border.

Israel isn’t the only country eyeing the Latin American drone market. Apparently, so is Iran. US Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser recently told reporters in Washington that Iran is planning to help build drones in Venezuela. The general reportedly said those drones are likely to be limited in capacity. Translation: probably not armed, and probably not capable of flying missions to the United States. But you never know, and I’m sure the Pentagon is keeping a nervous eye on that evolving situation.

The fact that so many countries are using unmanned aircraft makes me nervous. I’m not expecting hostile drones over US cities anytime soon. And more use of surveillance drones in Latin America could help governments win a few more battles against the drug cartels. But clearly we’re headed toward a world where pretty much everyone is keeping an eye on everyone else from the sky. Actually, we’re there already. The technological edge the United States may have had in this area is melting away.

What comes next is even more worrisome. This is a global arms race that’s been going on quietly in the background for some time now. It could get much louder, if armed drones become more widespread. We Americans may have grown used to our government using remote-controlled aircraft to kill suspected terrorists. That’s meant to make us feel safer. But I suspect the world is going to feel less safe as more countries acquire that same capability.