The United State's Use of Drone Warfare does more Harm than Good

My ArgumentsIt is important to remember what we are talking about when we discuss drones. We are talking about this: "Unmanned vehicles can be divided into three categories: Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Naval Vessels. The latter category can be further subdivided into unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs)." [1]I will be defending all three of these kinds of drones.Drones Provide InformationDrones provide good real-time information that the US military cannot get by any other means. This information helps when making important tactical and logistical decisions. This improves the safety of our own troops and civilians. For example, drones can be used to rapidly and accurately view the area of interest in order to find explosives and enemy ambushes. They also help in avoiding civilians with what they can do. Elizabeth Quinatana helps argue: "Mini-UAVs, such as the Desert Hawk, are much smaller and are designed to be manportable. They are hand launched and are operated from a laptop by military personnel close to the front line. Their endurance ismuch shorter (around an hour) and they are primarily used for beyond-line-of-sight scouting at a range of roughly 5 km. They have been used extensively by allied forces to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and ambushes on convoy routes." [1] This applies to both UAVs and UGVs, but what about UUVs? As explained here: "Looking to the future, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the Webb demonstrated an underwater glider which can ‘fly’ using underwater thermal currents. The teamclaims the glider could operate for as long as six months at a time, rising occasionally to the surface to orient itself by GPS. This could be a considerable breakthrough for UUVs, providing cheaper vehicles and significantly extending operational availability."[1]This means that drones are both quick and accurate in the air, on the ground, and in the water. We must keep our drone programs in order for an efficent way to gather real-time information at a fast pace. Drones Reduce Civilian CasualtiesLike I said above, the improved information gives the US military the ability to target less civilians rather than more. In comparision to manned vehicles, drones are more accurate and precise. No other technology to the exception of drones offers this kind of technology.Several studies prove that drones do much more better than bombers or missile strikes. Civilians deaths vary from as little as 4% to a high as 20%. [2]How is this compared to the more conventinal warfare? Read this:"When the Pakistani Army went after militants in the tribal area on the ground, civilians were 46 percent of those killed. In Israel’s targeted killings of militants from Hamas and other groups, using a range of weapons from bombs to missile strikes, the collateral death rate was 41 percent, according to an Israeli human rights group." [2]That's not it, deaths from forms conflict besides drone killings range from 33% to 80%. Their is obviously risk when comparing and analyzing different types of warfare, but we can prove that drones do much better in avoiding civilian and non-target deaths. [2]In fact, civilian deaths from drones have been going down over time from 16% between 2004 and 2007 to 10% between 2008 and 2012. In 2012 alone, the civilian death rate was as low as 1% and read this: "Pakistani security officials acknowledged during background interviews with the Washington Post in mid-2010 that, in fact, better technology, a deeper network of informants on the ground and better coordination between U.S. and Pakistani intelligence officials had all contributed to a significant drop in civilian deaths in drone strikes." [3] Reduces Casualties of Soldiers and Improves SafetyDrones are able to keep soldiers away from death or injury in battle. Soldiers can use drones to detect and defuse bombs that may have otherwise not been noticed. They can also guide soldiers to rescue fellow endangered soldiers or attack enemy force from weak areas. Any drone can do this without putting a soldier in danger. Read this on the Raven drone: "At its simplest, a Raven acts as a flying pair of binoculars that can look over the next hill, or escort a convoy from above. Being small and quiet, it can get close to targets unobserved, for a good look. Unlike bigger drones, whose limited numbers mean that officers in the field are in constant competition for their services, Ravens are abundant and thus generally available to provide instant video imagery, day or night. Special display software overlays the images they send back on a map to produce a moving picture of what is going on on the ground. An operator can thus call down artillery fire with lethal precision without having to see the target directly. For extra accuracy, Raven can also mark targets with a laser illuminator." [4]ConclusionDrones provide many advantages to protect both soldiers and civilians. They also provide good observation of the battlefield and improve the effectiveness of strikes. It does not matter if once and a while drones make mistakes, as that is an argument on Sources1. Quintana, Elizabeth. "The Ethics and Legal Implications of Military Unmanned Vehicles." Royal United Services Institute, n.d. Web2. Shane, Scott. "NEWS ANALYSIS; The Moral Case For Drones." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 July 2012. Web.3. Bergen, Peter. "Civilian Casualties Plummet in Drone Strikes." CNN. Cable News Network, 14 July 2012. Web.4. "Joining the Drones Club." The Economist, 3 Sept. 2011. Web.