Staff Sgt. john Bainter/USAF
David Axe, Daily Beast: How America Broke Its Drone Force
The Pentagon’s generals amassed an unmanned armada. Then they ran it into the ground.
In a tent at Nellis Air Force Base on the northern edge of Las Vegas, the officer in charge of a U.S. Air Force drone unit strolled into a meeting with the 20 or so pilots and sensor operators under his command. It was in the winter of 2005-2006, and the officer just wanted to try out some ideas he had for boosting unit morale, he recalled later in a conversation with an Air Force historian.
But it was too late. The drone crews from the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron were already “so bitter and angry,” the flight commander remembered. And when he opened his mouth, the drone operators actually booed.
Update #1: As Stress Drives Off Drone Operators, Air Force Must Cut Flights -- New York Times
Update #2: The Air Force Is Slowing Drone Strikes Because Pilots Are Getting Burnout -- Popular Mechanics
WNU Editor: Unmanned vehicles have shown what the future of war is going to look like .... and it is obvious that their need (and importance) will only grow as the Air Force struggles to keep pace with its growth.