The Human is the Object of War: Drones & Autonomy w/ Kelsey D. Atherton
Summary
Host Gregory Foley interviews Kelsey D. Atherton, chief editor at the Center for International Policy, to discuss the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and its role in launching the modern drone warfare era. They define the technical distinctions between remotely piloted drones and autonomous weapons, tracing the evolution from expensive US military assets like the Reaper to cheap, proliferated commercial quadcopters. The conversation highlights how the US failed to secure domestic manufacturing, leading to a reliance on Chinese-made DJI drones that adversaries now use effectively. Atherton also cri…
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest Kelsey D. Atherton
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 and the War on Terror
Cultural shifts and the loss of American silliness
Defining drones vs. autonomous weapons
Human control, autonomy, and the 'permission structure'
Evolution from high-end state drones to cheap commercial tech
The DJI monopoly and US military procurement challenges
Targeting logic and the Kabul airport drone strike error
Weaponizing commercial quadcopters and the 'stick of dynamite'
The Maduro assassination attempt and drone range limitations
Computer vision, target classification, and human-in-the-loop ethics
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