The Drones are Here

[ballmich 397]

The military is now actively flying drones over parts of the US, based upon a FOIA lawsuit against the FAA....

The records show that the Air Force has been testing out a bunch of different drone types, from the smaller, hand-launched Raven, Puma and Wasp drones designed by Aerovironment in Southern California, to the much larger Predator and Reaper drones responsible for civilian and foreign military deaths abroad. The Marine Corps is also testing drones, though it chose to redact so much of the text from its records that we still don’t know much about its programs.

Perhaps the scariest is the technology carried by a Reaper drone the Air Force is flying near Lincoln, Nevada and in areas of California and Utah. This drone uses “Gorgon Stare” technology, which Wikipedia defines as “a spherical array of nine cameras attached to an aerial drone . . . capable of capturing motion imagery of an entire city.” This imagery “can then be analyzed by humans or an artificial intelligence, such as the Mind’s Eye project” being developed by DARPA. If true, this technology takes surveillance to a whole new level.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/newly-released-drone-records-reveal-extensive-military-flights-us

Some of these drones are flying around the "Victorville" area, and I can personally report that with near certainty that are flying over my town which is not far from Victorville (maybe 60-90 minutes). They sound like lawn mowers, and some of them fly fairly close to the ground. Although I didn't actually see them on the 3-4 occassions that I heard them, even though I did run outside to look, no one in my neighborhood is mowing their lawn after dark at 9 to 9:30pm. And when outside, you could hear the sound taper-off as it made it's way past my neighborhood. One night they came at 12:30am which I only know because our A/C wasn't working so we had our windows open (unusual for us). Of course this pissed me off because it woke me up, and then I was up half the night.

Also I think at the point in which you are using AI to interpret the imagery and video... you really are getting much closer to a Skynet moment. This is a dangerous path we are on as a nation.

[Deleterious 2,548]

I look forward to some 15 year old hacking in and controlling these someday.

[pyrotigers 432]

Good thing the Government has never established a basis for killing american citizens without trial

whew

[chasfh 1,975]

Hope I die before I got shot.

[sinister porpoise 10]

Good thing the Government has never established a basis for killing american citizens without trial

whew

The government has a legal rationale for killing American citizens abroad who have taken up arms with terrorist groups, without trial. The government does not have such a rationale for American citizens on American soil so inapplicable to this issue.

[ballmich 397]

The government has a legal rationale for killing American citizens abroad who have taken up arms with terrorist groups, without trial. The government does not have such a rationale for American citizens on American soil so inapplicable to this issue.

Whether anyone has taken up arms with terrorist groups is a matter of subjectivity. I can say that Obama has taken up arms with terrorists, since he is the commander in chief, and we are arming Al Quaeda in Syria. He knows they are Al Qaeda and we continue to funnel them arms through our network of allies. In my opinion he has clearly taken up arms with terrorists. The point is, this is a matter of perspective, and all Americans deserve to have this type of charge to be resolved by a jury of their peers. Not by a bureaucrat.

[pfife 3,107]

this isn't news, some folks have been droning in this forum for years.

[drownwithyou 217]

I for one welcome our new Terminator overlords.

[VegasTiger 200]

I for one welcome our new Terminator overlords.

They'll be baaaaaack

[LineCrosser 12]

Hope I die before I got shot.

We could all just f-f-f-f-fade away...

[ballmich 397]

I look forward to some 15 year old hacking in and controlling these someday.

I saw a report today that some UT students were able to hack a DHS drone with about $1,000 in parts.

I also saw some video footage of a guy hacking a "drone" though this was just a hobby craft, not a US government or DHS drone, taking control rendering the person with the control device useless. He basically had a laptop and some sort of wireless emitter. It seems like that would be awfully short range though.

[sinister porpoise 10]

Whether anyone has taken up arms with terrorist groups is a matter of subjectivity. I can say that Obama has taken up arms with terrorists, since he is the commander in chief, and we are arming Al Quaeda in Syria. He knows they are Al Qaeda and we continue to funnel them arms through our network of allies. In my opinion he has clearly taken up arms with terrorists. The point is, this is a matter of perspective, and all Americans deserve to have this type of charge to be resolved by a jury of their peers. Not by a bureaucrat.

In this scenario: during WWII the Allied powers believe an American citizen to be transporting weapons for the Axis, this person is considered (very) significant to the opposition cause, American command has strong intelligence that a private plane has the individual on-board and a few German personnel. Do American forces have to withhold fire until a trial in absentia for the arms courier?

[TheCouga 151]

The government has a legal rationale for killing American citizens abroad who have taken up arms with terrorist groups, without trial. The government does not have such a rationale for American citizens on American soil so inapplicable to this issue.

Thanks for mentioning this.

I think sometimes people on both the right and the left get carried away by hyperbole. This rule shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. If you take up arms against us and actively engage in combat against us, don't be surprised if we don't give you a trial.

The Torture issue is a totally different one. If people want to gripe about human rights, it's a lot more effective to bark up that tree.

[ballmich 397]

Here is the 1.8 gigapixel ARGUS camera that is attached to a drone and can resolve details as small as six inches from an altitude of 20,000 feet. Reportedly, two ARGUS equipped drones can fly over Manhattan with full coverage of the city 24/7.

They won't say if these are currently in use....

[hueytaxi 14]

We heard about Miami over the weekend and others report similar "invasions" in the NE.........the aclimation of US Military on our streets is underway.........

1. Army Reserve Invades New York Town
   
2. Houston Residents Rattled by Government Gunfire and Helicopters
   
3. Photos: U.S. Army Domestic Quick Reaction Force Riot Control Training
   
4. Bio Lab in Galveston Raises Concerns
   
5. Texas Guard, Czech army trains for disaster in Operation Lonestar
   
6. Special Operations Unit Training on Outer Banks
   
7. Mexican Drug Mafia Invades Texas
   
8. Army Airborne to Invade Tennessee Town
   
9. “Don’t Be Alarmed”: Army Trains MPs To Drive Tanks On U.S. Streets
   
10. U.S. and Multinational Military Forces Train in South Dakota’s Black Hills
    
11. Army Times Details Army Invasion of U.S.
    
12. U.S. Special Operations Command to Use Michigan Town as “Training Ground”
    

[ballmich 397]

In an interview of one of the military commanders in charge of the recent "urban" training exercises taking place throughout the US said somethign like: "If we are going to the mountains, we train in the mountains. If we are going to the desert, we train in the desert."

That brings up the question, if they are training in urban combat, are they going to invade Tehran? Damascus? Cairo? And they are training in joint operations with LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. So are they plannnig to be working with the local police in Tehran or Damascus?

There is only one place that they are actively training for that fits the bill for how they are training, in conjunction with local law enforcement, and that is in US cities.

[Deleterious 2,548]

U.S. troops arrive in Niger to set up drone base - The Washington Post

President Obama announced Friday that about 100 U.S. troops have been deployed to the West African country of Niger, where defense officials said they are setting up a drone base to spy on al-Qaeda fighters in the Sahara.

In a letter to Congress, Obama said about 40 U.S. military personnel arrived in Niger on Wednesday, bringing the total number of troops based there to “approximately” 100. He said the troops, who are armed for self-protection, would support a French-led military operation in neighboring Mali, where al-Qaeda fighters and other militants have carved out a refuge in a remote territory the size of Texas.

The drone base in Niger marks the opening of another far-flung U.S. military operation against al-Qaeda and its affiliates, in addition to ongoing combat missions in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia. The CIA is also conducting airstrikes against al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan and Yemen.

More at the link

[screwball 507]

U.S. troops arrive in Niger to set up drone base - The Washington Post

Niger? Why Niger?

Oh, wait a minute;

Nigeria - Analysis - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Nigeria's hydrocarbon resources are the mainstay of the country's economy, but development of the oil and natural gas sectors is often constrained by instability in the Niger Delta.

Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and has been a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 1971. In 2011, Nigeria produced about 2.53 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of total liquids, well below its oil production capacity of over 3 million bbl/d, due to production disruptions that have compromised portions of the country's oil for years. The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector, which accounts for over 95 percent of export earnings and about 40 percent of government revenues, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

<snip>

For the last nine years, the U.S. has imported between 9-11 percent of its crude oil from Nigeria; however, U.S. import data for the first half of 2012 show that Nigerian crude is down to a 5 percent share of total U.S. crude imports.

More at link.

Oil, who'd of thunk it.

[Blue Square Thing 328]

Niger? Why Niger?

Oh, wait a minute;

Nigeria - Analysis - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Different country...

I imagine it has to do with the Tuareg groups aligned with islamist extremists - northern Niger/northern Mali/southern Algeria all pretty much merge together and there's not a lot of border control up there. Niger has Uranium mines of course, although they aren't as active as they were with the press collapse. From memory I don't think there's a whole pile of oil in Niger - the Chinese have started drilling for some up by Lake Chad I think. Maybe this is partly making some ground against the Chinese influence in the Sahel.

Well worth listening to some Etran Finatawa if we're thinking about Niger. Sort of desert bluesy.

[screwball 507]

Different country...

I imagine it has to do with the Tuareg groups aligned with islamist extremists - northern Niger/northern Mali/southern Algeria all pretty much merge together and there's not a lot of border control up there. Niger has Uranium mines of course, although they aren't as active as they were with the press collapse. From memory I don't think there's a whole pile of oil in Niger - the Chinese have started drilling for some up by Lake Chad I think. Maybe this is partly making some ground against the Chinese influence in the Sahel.

Well worth listening to some Etran Finatawa if we're thinking about Niger. Sort of desert bluesy.

My mistake. They are close, but not the same.

That's what I get for not trusting what .gov tells me, and my poor reading and geography skills.

Thanks BST.

[Blue Square Thing 328]

My mistake. They are close, but not the same.

That's what I get for not trusting what .gov tells me, and my poor reading and geography skills.

Thanks BST.

Hey, what can I say, I used to teach geography. It helped to know where places were :-)

[screwball 507]

Hey, what can I say, I used to teach geography. It helped to know where places were :-)

Hey, I was close. :-) I saw the word Niger and first thought of the Niger Delta, and I know there is a bunch of oil activity there. That sent my little peabrain off and running.

[hueytaxi 14]

Hey, what can I say, I used to teach geography. It helped to know where places were :-)

I used to love geography, but it became fluid. Now I concentrate on recalling the continents.

[Deleterious 2,548]

BBC News - Darpa looks to use small ships as drone bases

The US military is planning to use fleets of small ships as platforms for unmanned aircraft to land and take off.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) said it needed to increase its airborne "surveillance and reconnaissance".

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), known as drones, are commonly launched on land - but deploying them at sea is harder because they need to refuel.

They currently require large aircraft carriers with long runways.

The new project has been dubbed Tern (Tactically Exploited Reconnaissance Node) after a sea-bird known for its endurance.

Darpa programme manager Daniel Patt, said: "Enabling small ships to launch and retrieve long-endurance UAVs on demand would greatly expand our situational awareness and our ability to quickly and flexibly engage in hotspots over land or water."

He added: "It is like having a falcon return to the arm of any person equipped to receive it, instead of to the same static perch every time."

About 98% of the world's land area lies within 900 nautical miles of ocean coastlines, and Darpa increasingly sees conflicts being fought out at sea.

[hueytaxi 14]

Another item to miss the defense spending cuts I'm sure. Don't you love Selective Sequestration? Cut health care and education to buy tanks for DHS and aircraft carriers for UAV's?