A Reaper Drone
/ file photo
SYRACUSE -- The new battle lines in the ongoing American involvement in Afghanistan are drawn in Central New York.
The New York Times gained access to the Reaper Drone program at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base.
In the article, Colonel D. Scott Brenton recounts how he remotely fires a missle with the intention of killing an insurgent or other intended target, from 7,000 miles away in Central New York. A former F-16 pilot, Brenton also talks about how war has changed. Rather than being deployed overseas, after his day spent waiting for a "kill shot," he joins the rest of Central New York in a very typical commute to his home where he helps with homework.
The use of drones to fight wars is changing the face of the United States military, and it is also drawing controversy. Earlier this summer, six people were arrested while protesting at Hancock Air Field.
"This isn't just an idealistic exercise," said Ed Kinane. "These drones that assassinate people in various countries overseas and create enormous hostility toward the U.S. because of civilian deaths."
