The Drone Wars UK Library Archive contains key documents and important articles published before 2015.
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Library Archive – Autonomy
| Nov 2014 | Religious leaders call for a ban on killer robots | Religious leaders call on states to work towards a global ban on fully autonomous weapons |
| Aug 2014 | Killer robots a small step away and must be outlawed, says top UN official | UN’s high representative for disarmament calls for pre-emptive ban on autonomous weapons |
| May 2014 | Key areas for debate on autonomous weapons systems | Memorandum from Article 36 written for the CCW Meeting on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems |
| Nov 2013 | UN: Nations Agree to Address ‘Killer Robots’ | HRW reports UN agrees to investigate autonomous weapons |
| June 2013 | UK says killer robots will not meet requirements of international law | Article 36 reports on UK parliamentary debate on Lethal Autonomous Robotics |
| June 2013 | Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur calls for pre-emptive ban on autonomous weaponry | Guardian article on Christof Heyns report |
| April 2013 | Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns | Chrisof Heyns report to UN Human Rights Council on lethal autonomous weaponry |
| April 2013 | Killer Robots: UK Government Policy on Fully Autonomous Weapons | Article 36 surveys UK government policy on autonomous weaponry |
| Nov 2012 | Losing Humanity: The Case Against Killer Robots | Human Rights Watch briefing on fully autonomous weaponry |
Library Archive – Civil use
| Jan 2016 | Drones in four near-misses at major UK airports, air investigators reveal | British airline pilots call for a clampdown on drones, warning of potential disaster |
| Dec 2015 | Tear gassing by remote: The development & promotion of remotely operated means of delivering or dispersing riot control agents | Report looking at use of drones for riot control |
| Mar 2015 | Europe aviation safety agency sets out drone proposals | EASA report ahead of publication of draft law in December 2015 |
| Mar 2015 | House of Lords committee publishes report into use of civil drones | Committee supports EU plans to harmonise safety rules but argues for flexibility for small drones |
| Feb 2015 | US FAA unveils drone rules as Obama orders agencies to prepare rules on US government use of drones in civil airspace | Federal Aviation Administration publishes proposals governing small commercial drones in US |
| Jan 2015 | U.S. surveillance drones largely ineffective along border, report says | Department of Homeland Security report undermines political support for use of drones by saying fleet not effective |
| Nov 2014 | Privacy, data protection and ethical risks in civil RPAS operations – Final Report | Report of European Commission on ethical risks of civil use of drones |
| Nov 2014 | Near-collisions between drones, airliners surge, new FAA reports show | Washington Post investigation into use of drones in civil airspace |
| Oct 2014 | PostNote on Civilian drones | UK parliamentary briefing on civilian drones |
| Oct 2014 | The Security Impact of Drones: Challenges and Opportunities for the UK | Overview of the security impact of military and civilian drones by Birmingham Policy Commission |
| Sept 2014 | Drones are filling Britain’s skies | 300 companies and public bodies operate drones in UK airspace |
| July 2014 | House of Lords launches inquiry into civil use of drones | Peers investigate safety, privacy and economic impact of drones |
| May 2014 | Back from the Battlefield: domestic drones in the UK | Statewatch and Drone Wars UK report into use of civil drones in UK |
| Apr 2014 | European Commission calls for tough civil drone rules | Press Release from EC on use of drones in civil airspace. |
| Jan 2014 | Putting Drones to the Test | NYT calls for legislation to protect public from domestic use of drones |
| Nov 2013 | Integration of Civil UAS in National Airspace Roadmap | FAA’s plans for integrating drones into US airspace |
| Oct 2013 | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A New Industrial System? | Discussion paper from Royal Aeronautical Society focused on producers |
| Jun 2013 | Challenging Privacy? The civil use of drones in the UK | Notes and documents from APPG meeting on civil use of drones |
| Jan 2013 | Revealed: who can fly drones in UK airspace | Guardian details who has permission to fly UAVs in UK |
| Oct 2012 | Roundtable: development of civilian UAVs | Discussion of civil use of drones in UK by industry experts |
| Sep 2012 | Towards a European strategy for the development of civil applications of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems | European Commission working document on opening European civil airspace to unmanned drones by 2016 |
| Jan 2011 | Attack of the Drones – The Guardian | How police and civil authorities are catching up with military use of drones |
Library Archive – Civilian casualties
| Nov 2014 | You Never Die Twice: Multiple Kills in the US drone program | Reprieve reveal US drone strikes kill 28 unknown people for every intended target |
| April 2014 | Drone Strikes in Pakistan: Reasons to Assess Civilian Casualties | US military research organisation investigates drone civilian casualty figures. Written by Larry Lewis. |
| Feb 2014 | Civilian drone deaths triple in Afghanistan, UN agency finds | UNAMA data shows increase in civilian casualties from drone strikes |
| Jan 2014 | What really happened when a U.S. drone hit a Yemeni wedding convoy? | Investigation into Dec 2013 US drone strike that killed civilians |
| Jul 2013 | US drone strikes more deadly to Afghan civilians than manned aircraft – adviser | Study contradicts drone precision claims |
| March 2013 | Drone attacks ‘traumatising a generation of children’ | Channel 4 News report on psychologist Dr Peter Schaapveld’s findings from clinical visit to Yemen |
| Oct 2012 | Counting Drone Strike Deaths | Review of drone strike casualty estimates |
| Oct 2012 | Drones: the physical and psychological implications of a global theatre of war | Medact report on the impact on health of armed drones |
| Sept 2012 | Living Under Drones Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians From US Drone Practices in Pakistan | Analysis from Stamford and New York University Law Schools of the US drone campaign in Pakistan |
| Sep 2012 | The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions | A study of the impact of the US covert drone on civilians in Pakistan |
| Jul 2011 | US claims of ‘no civilian deaths’ are untrue | TBIJ challenges US claims of no civilian casualties |
| Jun 2011 | Drone attacks, International Law and the recording of Civilian Casualties of Armed Conflict | Oxford Research Group on the recording of civilian casualties |
| Jun 2011 | The magical realism of body counts | Al-Jazeera Op-Ed on civilian casualty statistics |
Library Archive – Drone pilots and crew
| Dec 2014 | Drone operator made long-distance war from close to home | Interview with anonymous US drone pilot |
| Oct 2014 | “It’s very odd” – a former UK drone operator speaks | Former RAF Reaper drone operator speaks to TBIJ. |
| Sept 2014 | On the frontlines with US drone pilots | Interviews with crew of US Global Hawk drones. |
| Sept 2014 | Confessions of a drone veteran: Why using them is more dangerous than the government is telling you | Former US military analyst on the stress and trauma of being involved in the US drone campaign |
| Jun 2014 | Inside the Air Force’s Secret Drone Pilot Training Classroom | A rare piece on drone pilot training from inside Holloman AFB |
| Apr 2014 | Actions Needed to Strengthen Management of Unmanned Aerial System Pilots | GAO report for Congress argues the need for more USAF drone pilots |
| Dec 2013 | I worked on the US drone program. The public should know what really goes on | Former US intelligence analyst Heather Linebaugh challenges ‘pro-drone’ myths |
| Oct 2013: | A rare insight into a day at work for a pilot of a drone | Former US drone pilot Lt Col Bruce Black speaks with BBC News |
| June 2013 | Former drone operator says he’s haunted by his part in more than 1,600 deaths | Interview with former USAF drone pilot Brandon Bryant |
| Dec 2012 | Dreams in Infrared: The Woes of an American Drone Operator | Der Spiegel on the impact of drone wars on the operators – includes interviews with two pilots |
| Jul 2012 | A Day Job Waiting for a Kill Shot a World Away | New York Times interviews US drone pilots |
| Sep 2012 | The air force men who fly drones in Afghanistan by remote control | Telegraph article on UK drone pilots |
| Oct 2009 | The War Room: The toll on drone operators – Stars and Stripes | Military newspaper examines life of drone operators |
Library Archive – Ethical issues |
| Sept 2014 | Drones and the Democracy Disconnect | Do drones exacerbate the disconnect between us and the wars waged in our name? |
| Feb 2014 | Statement on use of drones and denial of the right to life | Use of armed drones condemned by World Council of Churches |
| Nov 2013 | The Ethics of Armed Unmanned Aircraft | The ethical perspective from the ‘pro-drone’ Royal Aeronautical Society |
| Nov 2013 | Letter from Vatican Permanent Representative to UN | Vatican raises concerns about use of drones and killer robots |
| May 2013 | US Bishops letter on drones | US Catholic Bishops letter questioning ethics of drone warfare |
| Jan 2013 | Controversial Contrails: The Costs of Remotely Piloted Foreign Policy | Serving USAF officer questions ethics of remote warfare in Joint Forces Quarterly |
| Aug 2012 | Obama’s Drone Wars: A Case to Answer | Does the use of drones fit with Just War Theory? |
| May 2012 | Drones: Ethical Dilemmas in the Application of Military Force | UK Methodist, Baptist and URC Churches report on ethical issue of using drones for targeted killing |
| Mar 2011 | Does Unmanned Make Unacceptable? Exploring the Debate on using Drones and Robots in Warfare | Pax Christi International explores ethics of drone warfare |
| Apr 2008 | The Ethics and Legal Implications of Military Unmanned Vehicles | RUSI exploration of ethical and legal implications of using unmanned drones |
Library Archive – General overview |
| Oct 2014 | The Security Impact of Drones: Challenges and Opportunities for the UK | Overview of the security impact of military and civilian drones by Birmingham Policy Commission |
| Oct 2014 | New Ways of War: Is Remote Control Warfare Effective? | Digest of research commissioned by the Remote Control Project |
| Oct 2014 | Rise of the Reapers: A Brief History of Drones | A brief history of drones |
| July 2014 | Global opposition to U.S. drone strikes grows | Analysis of Pew Research Center poll on US drone strikes |
| Mar 2014 | What’s wrong with drones? | The concerns with the growing use of armed drones by Drone Wars UK |
| June 2013 | War on Demand: The Global Rise of Drones by Media Benjamin | Briefing by Medea Benjamin on drones |
| Jan 2013 | Rise of the Drones | Time magazine special on drones |
| Dec 2012 | Normalising death: The business of drones | Examination of the drone industry |
| Dec 2012 | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones): an introduction | UK parliament background briefing on drones |
| Apr 2012 | The Rise of the Killer Drones: How America Goes to War in Secret | Good overview of US use of armed drones |
| Feb 2012 | The Menace of Present & Future Drone Warfare | Richard Falk setting the drone wars in historical and political context. |
| Jan 2012 | License to Kill: How Drones are changing warfare | Excellent summary of the issues from David Cortright of Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies |
| Jan 2012 | The Drone Wars Briefing 2012 | Overview of use of drones |
| Aug 2011 | Seductive Drones: Learning from a Decade of Lethal Operations | Mary Ellen O’Connell analyses ten years of drone operations from a legal perspective |
| Sep 2010 | Convenient Killing: Armed Drones and the‘Playstation’ Mentality | Fellowship of Reconciliation briefing on the use of armed drones |
| Jun 2008 | Air Power – UAVs: The Wider Context | RAF Study into the use of UAVs |
Library Archive – Israel and drones |
| Dec 2014 | Investigating the Relationship Between Drone Warfare and Civilian Casualties in Gaza | Examination of Israel’s 2014 war in Gaza |
| Dec 2014 | IAF drone training center growing above and beyond | The Jerusalem Post looks at the IAF’s drone training centre. |
| Nov 2014 | Israeli drone commander: ‘The life and death decisions I took in Gaza’ | Interview with Israeli drone pilot |
| Sept 2014 | Gaza life beneath drones | Four-part series on how Israeli drones impact on life in Gaza. |
| Aug 2014 | Did an Israeli drone strike militants in Egypt? | Investigation into Israeli drone strike in Egypt |
| May 2014 | Israel’s drone dealers | Al Jazeera film by Yotam Feldman looking at exports & use in Gaza |
| Feb 2014 | Sleepless in Gaza: Israeli drone war on the Gaza Strip | Report on Israeli drone use by Dr. Atef Abu Saif of Al-Azhar University. |
| Jan 2014 | Israel and the Drone Wars | Briefing from Drone Wars UK on Israel and the drone wars |
| Dec 2013 | Killer Drones: UK Complicity in Israeli’s crimes against Palestinian people | War on Want report on Israeli drones |
| Nov 2013 | Gaza: Life and death under Israel’s drones | Al Jazeera report on impact of Israeli drone use in Gaza |
| Jul 2013 | Israeli industry pursues unmanned systems network | How Israel is developing multiple types of drones |
| June 2013 | Israel leads global drone exports as demand grows | Associated Press looks at Israel’s drone exports |
| Dec 2011 | Buzz of Israel’s drones resonates throughout region | Reuters article on Israeli drones |
| Jun 2009 | Precisely Wrong: Gaza Civilians Killed by Israeli Drone-Launched Missiles | Human Rights Watch Briefing |
Library Archive – Proliferation |
| July 2014 | UAV Firms Seek Easier Exports | Defence companies lobby for easing of export controls on drones |
| June 2014 | Limiting Armed Drone Proliferation | Council on Foreign Relations report arguing for limits on drone exports |
| Mar 2014 | The Next Drone Wars: Preparing for Proliferation | Arguing for action now to prevent the danger of drone proliferation |
| Feb 2014 | Eurodrones Inc. | The economic political support given to the drone industry by the EU. |
| Sep 2013: | Remote control war: Unmanned combat air vehicles in China, India, Iran, Israel, Russia and Turkey | Examination of the drone inventory six countries |
| June 2013 | Israel leads global drone exports as demand grows | Associated Press looks at Israel’s drone exports |
| Feb 2013 | Drone manufacturers target rising Gulf Arab demand | Reuters looks at how drones are being marketed to the Gulf states |
| Jan 2013 | The Weaponisation of Future Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | RUSI article looking at various weapons programme for drones |
| Jul 2012 | Non-proliferation: improve monitoring of UAV exports | US GAO analysis of growing proliferation of drones |
Library Archive – Targeted Killing and Legal Issues |
| Oct 2013 | Interim Report of UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson | Ben Emmerson’s interim report on impact of drones on human rights |
| Oct 2013 | Report of UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heynes | Report from UN Rapporteur Christof Heyns from perspective of Right to Life |
| Sept 2013: | Report of Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter terrorism to UN General Assembly | Ben Emmerson’s interim report on impact of drones in counter terrorism operations on civilians |
| Sept 2013: | Report of Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings to UN General Assembly | Christof Heyns report on international law and drones |
| July 2013 | Drones and targeted killing: defining a European position | Anthony Dworkin argues EU should take a stronger position on US drone strikes |
| July 2013 | Obama’s secret kill list – the disposition matrix | Examination of how a number of British men have been killed in US drone strikes |
| June 2013 | The Legality of the UK’s Use of Armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones) | Legal opinion by Public Interest Lawyers on UK’s use of armed drones |
| June 2013: | New Technologies and Warfare | ICRC Journal examines impact of drones and other new technology on warfare |
| May 2013 | Drone legal issues – panel of experts | Podcast of three excellent speakers talking about legal issues of drone warfare |
| May 2013 | Policy on drone strike authorization doesn’t need to change, Defense official says | Washington Post report on Pentagon offical testimony at Senate Armed Services Committee |
| May 2013 | Deprivation of Citizenship and the Targeted Killing of Britons | Chris Woods of TBIJ addresses APPG Meeting on how UK citizens have been stripped of citizenship and then killed in drone strikes |
| April 2013 | Shared Concerns Regarding US Drone Strikes and Targeted Killing | Major US human rights group write to President Obama on drones and targeted killing |
| Feb 2013 | Justice Department memo reveals legal case for drone strikes on Americans | Leaked ‘White Paper’ reveals US DoJ thinking on targeted killing |
| Jan 2013 | Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies | Council on Foreign Relations briefing on US use of drones with recommendations for reform |
| Sep 2012 | Unnecessary and Disproportional: The Killings of Anwar and Abdul Rahman al-Awlaki | Challenging the narrative justifying the drone assassination of the Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and his son |
| Jun 2012 | Drone strikes threaten 50 years of international law, says UN Rapporteur – The Guardian | Christof Heyns, UN special Rapporteur on why drones present a major challenge to the system of international law |
| May 2012 | Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will – New York Times | Examination of US drone and special ops targeted killing based on interviews with senior administration officials |
| Feb 2012 | How We Made Killing Easy | Excellent analysis of leaked DoJ ‘White Paper’ by Professor David Cole in New York Review of Books |
| Sep 2011 | The CIA and Targeted Killings Beyond Borders | Philip Alston argues the US drone targeted tilling program cannot be compliant with international law |
| Aug 2011 | Seductive Drones: Learning from a Decade of Lethal Operations | Mary Ellen O’Connell analyses ten years of drone operations from a legal perspective |
| Mar 2011 | Targeting Operations with Drone Technology: Humanitarian Law Implications | Excellent briefing on drones and international law |
Library Archive – UK drone operations |
| Jan 2014 | UK airstrikes in Iraq hit 100 – one third by drones | Drone Wars UK | Analysis of UK drone strikes in Iraq |
| Oct 2014 | The Security Impact of Drones: Challenges and Opportunities for the UK | Overview of the security impact of military and civilian drones by Birmingham Policy Commission |
| Oct 2014 | UK to deploy armed drones against Islamic State in Iraq | MoD announces deployment of UK armed drones to Iraq |
| Sept 2014 | MoD facing legal challenge over armed drone deployment outside Afghanistan | Campaigners consider Judicial Review over redeployment of UK armed drones |
| Sept 2014 | Into the Fire: The dangers of redeploying British armed drones after Afghanistan | The peace and security implications of redeploying UK armed drones |
| July 2014 | Government response to Defence Select Committee Report on RPAS (drones) | Government response to Defence Select Committee Report. |
| July 2014 | New figures show UK increasingly relying on drones for strikes in Afghanistan | Over 80% of UK airstrikes in Afghanistan carried out by drones |
| July 2014 | More RAF Reapers Take To The Skies | MoD press release confirms five additional armed Reapers are in operation |
| Mar 2014 | Remote Control: Remotely Piloted Air Systems – current and future UK use | Report from Defence Select Committee into use of UK drones |
| Feb 2014 | RAF has fired missiles in Afghanistan using US drones, MoD reveals | FOIA reveals UK use of US drones in Afghanistan |
| Dec 2013 | Don’t call them drones: RAF launches charm offensive for ‘unmanned aircraft’ | UK launches PR effort to improve perception of UK’s drone use |
| Nov 2013 | Integrating remotely piloted air systems | Overview of current and future UK drone operations from RAF’s 2013 Yearbook |
| Sept 2013 | Remote Control: RPAS | MoD memo on UK drone operations to UK Defence Select Committee |
| Sept 2013 | UK drones three times more likely than US to fire in Afghanistan | Analysis of UK drone strike figures |
| Aug 2013 | UK drone pilot witness Statement | RAF Squadron Leader gives some background details of UK drone operations |
| June 2013 | After five years of British drone strikes, five facts we are not allowed to know | Examining secrecy surrounding UK’s use of armed drones |
| May 2013 | The Rise of Britain’s drone wars | GQ Magazine examines Britain’s use of armed drones |
| April 2013 | First deskbound drone pilots get their RAF wings | First RAF drone specialist pilots qualify |
| March 2013 | Drone stats: how the UK has adjusted Reaper weapons use | Statistics of weapons launched by UK Reaper drones in Afghanistan |
| Dec 2012 | Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones): an introduction | UK parliament background briefing on drones |
| Dec 2012 | Revealed: US and Britain launched 1,200 drone strikes in recent wars | Analysis of US and UK drone strikes in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq |
| Sep 2012 | The air force men who fly drones in Afghanistan by remote control | Telegraph article on UK pilots and operations |
| Sept 2012 | Shelling Out: UK spending on unmanned drones | An analysis of UK spending on drones 2007-2012 |
| Mar 2011 | The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems – JDN 2/11 | UK MoD policy document on use of drones, including review of moral, legal and ethical issues |
| Mar 2009 | RAF Bomb the Taliban from 8000 miles away – Daily Telegraph | DT reporter visits UK drones operators at their base in Nevada. |
| Jun 2008 | Air Power – UAVs: The Wider Context | RAF Study into the use of UAVs |
Library Archive – US drone operations |
| Nov 2014 | The Unblinking Stare: The drone war in Pakistan | New Yorker long-read on US drone operations in Pakistan |
| Jun 2014 | Recommendations and Report of the Stimson Task Force on US Drone Policy | Critical report on US drone operations by former senior US military and administration officials. |
| June 2014 | When drones fall from the sky | Major investigation into US military drone crashes by Washington Post |
| Feb 2014 | The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program | The Intercept reveals NSA’s role in use of metadata to target US drone strikes |
| Jan 2014 | What really happened when a U.S. drone hit a Yemeni wedding convoy? | Investigation into Dec 2013 US drone strike that killed civilians |
| Dec 2013 | DoD Unmanned Systems Integrated Roadmap 2013 – 2038 | Pentagon updates US military drone roadmap. |
| Oct 2013 | Will I be next? US Drone Strikes in Pakistan | Amnesty International report |
| Oct 2013 | Between a drone and Al-Qaeda: The Civilian Cost of US Targeted Killings in Yemen | Human Rights Watch report |
| Oct 2013 | Secret memos reveal explicit nature of U.S., Pakistan agreement on drones | Excerpts of US reports to Pakistan on US drone strikes |
| May 2013 | Policy on drone strike authorization doesn’t need to change, Defense official says | Washington Post report on Pentagon offical testimony at Senate Armed Services Committee |
| May 2013 | Obama’s Speech on Drone Policy | President Obama gives major policy speech on drones and counterterrorism |
| March 2013 | Erased US data shows 1 in 4 missiles in Afghan airstrikes now fired by drone | Analysis by TBIJ shows that drones are firing nearly a quarter of all air-launched missiles in Afghanistan |
| March 2013 | Out of Sight, Out of Mind | Stunning visualization of US drone strikes in Pakistan |
| Jan 2013 | Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies | Council on Foreign Relations briefing on US use of drones with recommendations for reform |
| Dec 2012 | Revealed: US and Britain launched 1,200 drone strikes in recent wars | Analysis of US and UK drone strikes in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq |
| Sept 2012 | Living Under Drones Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians From US Drone Practices in Pakistan | Analysis from Stamford and New York University Law Schools of the US drone campaign in Pakistan |
| Sep 2012 | The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions | A study of the impact of the US covert drone on civilians in Pakistan |
| Aug 2012 | Hidden History: America’s Secret Drone War in Africa | Examining US use of drones in Africa |
| Apr 2012 | The Rise of the Killer Drones: How America Goes to War in Secret | Good overview of US use of armed drones |
| Jan 2012 | US Unmanned Aerial Systems | Congressional Research Service Report looks at development and future use of drones |