The announcement last week that US officials believe Iran was behind the October drone strike on the al-Tanf US base in southeastern Syria did not garner the headlines it should have done. But it was nevertheless yet another reminder that drone technology is altering geopolitics – whether we like it or not.
As Seth Frantzman points out in his recent Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machines, Artificial Intelligence, and the Battle for the Future – the most comprehensive and important book on drone warfare ever written – drones are already transforming modern conflict. A drone killed Qasem Soleimani last year in Iraq; Turkey has been using them in Syria for years; while Iran now uses drones not only to strike US targets but also to enable its proxies in Gaza and Yemen.
It seems clear that drones are quickly becoming the most important weapon systems in states that want to dominate future battles. Notably the US, China, Russia, Israel, Iran and Turkey have all contributed to the technology’s rapid evolution over the last few decades.
When states like Iran want to strike back at their enemies it is drone technology they increasingly use
The United States and Israel began the age of drones: they developed the technology and then spread it, as part of the Global War on Terror.
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