Watch out above

While researching journal articles related to unmanned systems and their predicted impacts on society, I discovered a vein of anti-drone research which accuses the United States of "Orientalism."  This word refers to the presumed intense and purposeful branding of Arabs by Western cultures as being perverse, violent and extremist (AANM, 2014). Maria Espinoza is one such author. Having published her article State Terrorism: Orientalism and the drone programme in 2018, the writer asserts that the entire U.S. military drone program is based on racism and hatred for Arab nations and people. It was a difficult task to read past the introduction as I always prefer to read objective scientific materials which present arguments in a logical order, leaving it to the reader to weigh the outcome of the argument.  The more one screams about how "right" they are the less I am inclined to listen.  But, like most educated readers, I can read and decide on my own. It is imp

Another class at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is in the rear view mirror.  Wait a minute. It's not accurate to refer to this experience as having been in the past.  In truth, these issues are current and dynamic, marching forward to new horizons.  But, with that advancement comes a web of complex issues that no one can fully predict. The Case Analysis tool is useful for students because it encourages a "look ahead," an attempt to predict what the industry will face in the present and in the future.  This ability to predict should be captured in the recommendations section of the paper.  Alternatively, research can be proposed under the alternative actions section also.  In any case, much of the importance of a Case Analysis is in its ability to look beyond present circumstances and predict what will be needed from the industry in the future.  This is the real value of research and really forms the spine of risk mitigation efforts. Getting a Case Analysis deve

Human Factors Ethics and Morality The purpose of this paper is to identify the general human factors, ethical and moral issues related to unmanned aerial system (UAS) use during warfare. Some human factors required to successfully operate UAS during war time operations are situational awareness, crew resource management, crew training, scheduling, knowledge of systems, risk mitigation measures and qualifications among many others (Hocraffer & Nang, 2017).   The most important human factor during these UAS operations is the actual decision to use lethal force.   While many of the other mission functions are autonomous, the decision regarding lethal force has human supervision (Johnstone, 2017). Ethical considerations relate to how a set of rules or governmental policy compares to the “right and wrong” of a moral code.   In democratic societies, many concerns about UAS during wars are muted by local political decisions (Kaag & Kreps, 2013).   The issue of being “eth

UAS Crewmember Selection Proper planning for establishing UAS crew member positions and responsibilities entails breaking down the operation into several logical steps.   These steps will include the following stages:   planning, launch, operation, recovery and analysis.   I would suggest that an emergency procedures section accompany each of the necessary stages capable of interrupting the project’s implementation for safety concerns. Planning The planning stage requires the identification of necessary personnel and certifications, safety mitigation tools, pre-flight of equipment and verification of mission objectives.   Human resources goals in the beginning stages will include verification of mission objectives, planning autonomous flights, detailing the data uplinks and down links, obtaining the proper flight permissions from regulatory authorities and hazard identification and mitigation procedures.   Given the limited scope of this paper, the flight permission

                                         Photo by Boeing.     Robots are on the ground, in the air, can be used inside your body to fight disease and now, they roam autonomously beneath the water.  They are coming for your jobs. But, they are also coming for independence.  Robots, lethality and autonomy can create combinations with world altering consequences.  From a U.S. military perspective, development and testing of  underwater maritime systems (UMS) can't happen fast enough.  Eckstein (2017) points this out in the article Navy Racing to Test, Field Unmanned Maritime Vehicles for Future Ships. According to Eckstein, the current push is to clear underwater mines and obstacles, but probable usage is likely to go far beyond that.  The present focus of the U.S. military is in supplementing both surface and underwater naval operations with UMS.  In fact, the Navy is designing a new type of deployment configuration called the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).  The LCS acts as a &q

Operational Risk Management Utilizing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) during power line inspections offers a myriad of advantages over traditional methodologies.   Implementing the use of UAS during these types of inspections requires careful planning and developing useful risk management tools. The DJI Phantom 4 sUAS is a versatile aircraft, capable of providing commercial operators with powerful results from power line inspection flights.   Operating the Phantom 4 during these inspections requires careful planning and evaluating risks. The first step in the development of an Operational Risk Management Tool (ORM) requires developing a Preliminary Hazard List (PHL).   Marshall et. al (2011) recommend that the PHL provide information about the potential hazard, the “stage” and the “probability and severity” of the event.   Figure 1 is an example of a potential PHL for evaluating hazards during various stages of a power line inspection flight. PRELIMINARY HAZARD LIS