War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare
5/14/202651 min
Drones are swarming battlefields in Ukraine, Iran, and beyond. Drone warfare is cheap, efficient, autonomous — and changing warfare forever. Today on the show, the past, present and future of battle by remote control. This episode originally published in 2021 and has been updated.
GUEST:
James Rodgers, war historian and author of several books about drones, including Drones: What Everyone Needs to Know
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsRund Abdelfatah· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hey, it's Rund. On this month's Throughline Plus episode, we're taking listeners behind the scenes of our episode on Bad Bunny, and how the mega pop star got so political. To listen and get access to sponsor-free listening, sign up for Throughline Plus at plus.npr.org/throughline. When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee, he talked about the massive amounts of money the US military wants to dedicate to its drone program.
Speaker 20:33
You're looking at $54 billion in the FY27 budget dedicated to drone dominance.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:39
Drone dominance isn't just a buzzword. It's the Defense Department initiative to scale up its drone program, and the money being requested has been called, quote, "The largest single commitment to autonomous warfare in history." In other words, drone AI. [pensive music] Drones have reshaped warfare and given all kinds of countries a powerful weapon.
Speaker 31:06
President Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of the first Americans killed in the war.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host1:11
On the day after the US and Israel launched war against Iran, an Iranian drone made it past air defenses in Kuwait, striking a US command center at a civilian port.
Speaker 31:22
Six Army reservists killed by an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host1:26
They were the first US casualties in the war.