Trump Administration Seeks to Expand Sales of Armed Drones

[Eugene]

Source: New York Times

Trump Administration Seeks to Expand Sales of Armed Drones

By GARDINER HARRIS APRIL 19, 2018

WASHINGTON — A day after President Trump promised to slash the red tape involved in weapons sales, the administration announced on Thursday a new policy that could vastly expand sales of armed drones, a contentious emblem of the shift toward remotely controlled warfare.

That change, in addition to a newly released update to the policy governing which nations are allowed to buy sophisticated American-made weapons, is intended to accelerate arms sales, a key priority of Mr. Trump.

The president seemed to foreshadow the new policies on Wednesday night, when he said at a news conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan that after allies order weapons from the United States, “we will get it taken care of, and they will get their equipment rapidly.”

“It would be, in some cases, years before orders would take place because of bureaucracy with Department of Defense, State Department,” Mr. Trump said. “We are short-circuiting that. It’s now going to be a matter of days. If they’re our allies, we are going to help them get this very important, great military equipment.”

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/politics/trump-drones-sales.html

[CaptainTruth]

1. Because the only thing that can stop a bad guy with an armed drone...

... is a good guy with an armed drone.

[Moral Compass]

2. The US will not always be the only country with lethal armed drones

I once posted on some website (could have been this one) that the US would not always be the only one with armed drones.

This was actually in response to the many drone strikes during the previous administration.

The policy of raining death down, sometimes seemingly randomly, on the inhabitants of sovereign nations based on what was often flimsy intelligence seemed to be the most short sighted of policy.

I could (and can) imagine that when drone technology becomes generally available other nations doing the same to our citizens.

Imagine if you will a funeral procession or a wedding party where many vehicles are caravanning and missiles rain down on them. This actually happened in some Middle Eastern country. Our military and intelligence services barely bothered to say, "Oops...". The excuse at the time was that there might have been some terrorists, or militants, or something bad in that caravan and well...it was just a bunch of Arabs after all.

The stupidity of Donald Trump will impel us faster toward that dystopian future of automated remote asymmetrical warfare. The seeds we've planted will sprout some day. Trump is just ensuring that that day will come sooner.

[RussBLib]

3. where can I buy one?

I can think of a TON of uses!