Drone Nation: The Rise of the Unmanned Aerial Machines (With Infographic)

image: Air Force
Tech. Sgt. Chad Chisholm

The proliferation of drone technology for surveillance and war has spread at warp speed to nearly every area of the world. Despite some lip service being paid by a small portion of Congress about the threat of drones being used for indiscriminate targeted killings at home and abroad, the truth is that Congress has already fully welcomed drones into American skies. Corporate mercenaries are simultaneously in a commercial race to the bottom and have gone international with no disclosure.

In just a few short years, we have witnessed the revelation (and disbelief) of drone tests on American soil, to micro drones commissioned by local police departments, to worldwide outrage over drone bombings around the world and the innocents killed, to the realization that drone tech is reaching disturbing levels as constant surveillance threatens to reach into our own backyards.

Perhaps more than where we are at, it is where we are going.

The latest revelation is that there are potentially 110 drone bases on American soil. This is confirmation that what was said by drone expert P.W. Singer was not hyperbole:

At this point, it doesn’t really matter if you are against the technology, because it’s coming.

(…)

The miniaturization of drones is where it really gets interesting. You can use these things anywhere, put them anyplace, and the target will never even know they’re being watched.

This is where things go into the darkest realms of dystopian fiction — the natural world is starting to possess the capabilities of drone surveillance and war — the insects are literally watching … and the world of nanotechnology beckons.

The following infographic offers some interesting facts about how this seemingly new technology has permeated our living space, and which country is not only responsible for the spread of drone tech, but which country is the only one with majority support from its citizens for drone attacks.

It would seem that we had best keep our eyes on the skies … at the very least.

Infographic by Criminal Justice Degree Schools