Campion School Model United Nations Disarmament and International Security Committee Study Guide: Drones and their involvement in warfare

Fourth Session: October 8th – 9th, 2016

Chair: Laura Karpodinis

Co-Chair: Melina Giolma Theofanis Fousekis

In the wake of the 21st century, modern methods and means of warfare areincreasingly stretching the limits of applicability of International Law. Theselaws are becoming insignificant, irrelevant andinadequatetodealwithmodernmethodsofwarfare,especially related to the use of Drones. Drones, orUnmannedAerialVehicles(UAV),areaircraftwithnopilotsonboardwhosemovementsarecontrolledbycomputers within the aircraft, or a pilot in anotherlocation. The earliest attempts at developing thesekindsoftechnologiescanbetracedbacktoWWIandreconnaissance UAVs were first used during theVietnam War, the emergence of armed or militarydronesismuchmorerecent.Officially referred to as Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs), the use anddevelopment of droneswith attack capacities increased dramatically after the9/11attacks,withtheUSmakingthemaweaponofchoiceintheWaronTerror.OnereportabouttheiruseinPakistan,calledLivingunderDrones,hasestimatedthatamongst the2,562-3,325peoplekilledbydrones,up to800werecivilian,andasfewas2%ofthosekilledwerehighleveldangeroustargets.It is statistics like these that have led to the high criticism of these forms oftechnologies and an evaluation of their benefits and downfalls relative to thecurrent alternatives. The high civilian casualties and concerns that the use ofdrones desensitizes to killing are some of the points often voiced by theiropponents. Advocates of their use however counter these argumentswith theeconomicone:thatdronesaremorecost-effectivethanotheraircrafts,andmostimportantly,theyalsoremovetherisktothelifeofthepilot.

Many countries have manufactured drones,although most still only possess very basicmodels and use them purely forreconnaissance.Currently,itisestimatedthatthe US currently has some 7,000 UAVs,making them the world’s largest producerandmost frequent user of drones.While theexactnumbersofaircraftpossessedbyothercountries is not certain. Israel, India and

Introduction

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Turkey are thought to be some of the countries possessing the next biggestarsenals,withothermilitarydroneusersalsoincludingtheUK,France,Germanyand Italy. Iran and Pakistan have also recently claimed success in developingsuchtechnologies.Afulllistofcountriespossessinglethalandnon-lethaldronescanbefoundinthetablebelow:

Inpossessionoflethaldrones

Inpossessionofnon-lethaldrones

UnitedStatesUnitedArabEmiratesIranChinaSweden

SlovakiaUkraineRomaniaGreeceCroatia

CanadaColombiaChileArgentinaJordan

MexicoPeruBrazilSouthAfricaTunisia

TaiwanGermanyPakistanSaudiArabiaIsraelRussiaUnitedKingdom

IndonesiaAustraliaMalaysiaNewZealandPhilippinesArmeniaJapan

NorwayLatviaNetherlandsSwitzerlandSpainCzechRepublicHungary

FinlandBelarusBelgiumPortugalSloveniaAustriaPoland

Italy

Thailand Bulgaria

SerbiaIndia

France

Turkey

Theimageemphasizessome of the current statisticsassociatedwithdrones.Theimageestablisheswhoisopposedandinfavorofdronekillingandwhichcountrieshavebeentargetedthemostindronekillings.

Drone or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV): Aircrafts with no human pilotaboard. They are operated either remotely by an external pilot or by anautomaticprogram.Military Drone: Are often deployed for special military operations that areconsidered“dull,dirty,ordangerous”.TargetedKilling: auseof lethal forcebyasubjectof international law that isdirectedagainstanindividuallyselectedpersonwhoisnotincustodyandthatisintentional.Global War on Terrorism (GWOT): The Global War on Terrorism began inresponsetothehorrificactsthatoccurredonSeptember11,2001whenhijackedplaneswere crashed into theWorldTradeCenter, thePentagon, anda field inPennsylvaniaall locatedintheUS.Asaresult,theUnitedStatesofAmericahasdeclaredwaragainst“terror”.IntelligenceAgency:Governmentagencyresponsibleforthecollection,analysisandexploitationofinformationinviewofnationalsecurity,lawenforcementandforeignpolicyobjectives.

Definition of key terms

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After9/11,dronesbecametheweaponofchoiceinthewaragainstterror.TheissueregardingdroneshasprovedtobeasensitiveissueintheUnitedNations,strainingtiesamonggovernmentsaroundtheglobe.Humanrightsagencies

Topic discussion

Thisimageshowsthepeoplethatwerekilledduringdronestrikes(bluecolour)andtheciviliansthatwerekilled(redcolour)inYemen,fromJanuary2011tonow.

acrosstheglobehaveobjectedtotheuseofdrones,mainlybecauseoftheunwantedandunwarrantedciviliandeathscausedbydronestrikes.Theregularuseofdroneshasbecomeacrucialreasonfordispute.TheUnitedStatesbeganmanipulatingdronesinearly2000,usingthemoverAfghanistan.TheCIAdevelopedapredatordronepreciselytotargetOsamaBinLaden.ThisdronestrikeonAfghanistandrewmuchcriticism,asinnocentliveswerelostratherthansustainingpeace.Manyhumanitariangroupsandnationswereoutragedbythedestruction.TheUSexplainedthatthetargetwasalegitimatethreatbutlateritwasfoundthatitwasjustgroupofinnocentpeoplesearchingforscrapmetal.SincethentheUShasbombardedAlgeria,Iran,Pakistan,Yemen,LibyaandSomaliausingdrones.ChinesedronesurveillanceofDiaoyuIslandhasalsogeneratedtensionbetweenChinaandJapan.Israelwasthefirsttouseattackdronesinwar,whenitinvadedLebanonin1982.TheseIsraelidroneswerelatersoldtotheUSAwhichusedthemintheFirstGulfWar.ReportssuggestthatIsraelidroneshavealsoplayedanimportantroleinitsassassinationprogramsoverPalestine.DuringOperationCastLead,the2008-2009Gazawar,droneswerewidelyusedinmarkingandattackingtargets.Manydronesarenowarmedwithsmallsensitivecameras.UAV(unmannedaerialvehicle)comeinmanyvarieties,shapes,andsizesandservemanypurposes.TheyarealsoavailableinDIY(Doityourself)kits,whicharecommerciallyfoundatinexpensiveprices.Droneshavebeenusedinweatherforecastingbymeteorologists,search-and-rescuemissionbyemergencycrews,crimecontrolbypolice,beachpatrolbylifeguards,reconnaissancebymilitants.Theseunmannedvehicleshaveundergonemanyvastdevelopments,somecontroversial.Manyexpertsbelievedronesareanassettothemilitaryastheyarelessexpensivethenmilitaryaircraft(morethan$1million)andcanassistonbattlefields.Theycanremaininflightforlongdurationsandtargetobjectsquiteprecisely.However,majorshortcomings,arestilltobefound.TheU.S.policyondroneusageisquitevague.Theuseofdronesaroundtheworldhasresultedinquestionsabouttheirplaceininternationallawandhascausednationstodeclareviolationsoftheirsovereignty.Obama'spolicyof"signaturestrike"allowstheCIAtotargetanyonewhoengagesinterroristbehaviourorfitsaterroristprofileregardlessofwhetherornotheorsheisidentifiedasanenemy.HalfofthedronestrikesinPakistanweresignaturestrikes.Dronecontrollersarenotalwayscertainwhotheyareattackingeventhoughtheyguaranteetheiraccuracy.Ithasbeenreportedthat114dronestrikesinPakistanandAfghanistanbetween2010-2011attacked“othermilitants,”meaningtheCIAcouldnotconcludetheaffiliationofthosekilled.Astherehavebeennumeroussignsofdronesbackfiringratherthanbolsteringsafetyandsecurity,theworldhasbeenleftingreatturmoilregardingtheextensiveuseofdronesforcounterterrorism.Peoplearoundtheglobemightbecreatingmoreterroriststhantheykillasdroneskillslargenumberofinnocentcivilians,violateinternationallawsandsovereigntyofothernationsandmakewarsmorehorrific.

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UnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)TheUSAistheprimarycountryinvolvedintheuseofdronesforsurveillanceandkillings.Thismemberstatereservestherighttoconducttargetedkillings,againstpeoplewhoareconsideredan“imminentthreat”tothenation.TheUnitedStateshaveconductedover95%oftheirtargetedkillings,usingdrones,inthelastdecade,includingthestrikesinYemenandPakistanandisthelargestproduceranduserofdronetechnology.IsraelIsraelhasbeenusingdronesforthepast40yearsandhasbeeninvolvedindronestrikesagainsttheStateofPalestineandEgypt.Eventhough,thememberstatehasneverpubliclyadmittedtheuseofarmeddrones,itisclearthatitsupportstheuseofdrones. UnitedKingdom(UK)TheUnitedKingdomacknowledgestheuseofdronesandhasusedthemagainstAfghanistan.But,thegovernmenthasadmittedthatarmeddroneshaveonlybeenusedinthewarinAfghanistanandnotasanykindofself-defenseinothercountries.PakistanPakistanisstronglyopposedtotheuseofdronesandhasbeenavictimofvariousdronestrikes.ItdoesnotconsenttotheuseofdronesbytheUnitedStatesinitsterritoryanditconsidersthistobeaviolationofthenation’ssovereignty.

Major countries and organizations involved

YemenYemenisanationthathasbeenattackedbydronestrikesmanytimes.ItcanbeconsideredasthemaintargetoftheUnitedStatesandtherehavebeenover1.000victimsfromdroneattacks.InDecember2013,aweddingwastargetedbyadroneaccidentally,resultingtothedeathof30innocentcivilians.AfghanistanAfghanistanisalsoavictimofdronestrikesandatargetoftheUnitedStates.DroneshaveseriousimpactsintheciviliansofAfghanistanandthegovernmenthasstatedthattheUnitedStatesofAmericadonotvaluesafetyandsecuritywhenitcomestotheinnocentpeople.

EconomyDronescostasmallfractionofmannedfighterjets,whichstillconsumemorethan90percentofallPentagonspendingonairpower.ThemostpowerfuldronecurrentlyusedbytheCIAandthemilitaryinanti-terroristoperationsistheMQ-9Reaper;itcostsaround$12millionperdrone.AconservativeestimateofthecostofanF-22,theAirForce’smostadvancedwarplane,is10timesthatamount.EffectivenessEstimatesofthenumberskilledbyU.S.dronestrikesvary;U.S.dronesstrikeshavebeenremarkablyprecise—andtheiraccuracyhasimprovedwithtime.AccordingtotheNewAmericaFoundation,inthe48dronesstrikesconductedinPakistanlastyear,fewerthan2percentofthosekilledwerecivilians.NecessityDespitetheircomparativelylowcostandrelativeaccuracy,killingterroristsfromtheskyisstilllessdesirablethancapturingthemontheground.Thetroubleisthatal-Qaedacontinuestothriveinplaceswheregovernment

Causes

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institutionsandsecurityforcesareweak.InBadLandslikethese,droneswillcontinuetobetheleastbadoption.MilitaryPersonnelSafetyDronesarelaunchedfrombasesinalliedcountriesandareoperatedremotelybypilotsinthestatewheretheywerelaunchfrom,minimizingtheriskofinjuryanddeaththatwouldoccurifgroundsoldiersandairplanepilotswereusedinstead.

1990s Drones are used to monitor hostile territories and the US begins to work on equipping drones with weapons.

1993 The US government has started providing surveillance drones in order to support UN forces in the former Yugoslavia.

2000 The CIA begins flying UAV over Afghanistan. February 2002 The first drone attack is conducted by the CIA, in Afghanistan, using

the Predator drone. October 2006 An American drone strike takes place in Pakistan and during that

time 69 students are killed. April 2012 Pakistan demanded an end to the US drone strikes on its territory. November 2013

Israel used drones in Gaza and killed 36 Palestinians.

May 2013 US President Obama delivered a speech discussing the need for a “comprehensive counterterrorism strategy” and acknowledged

1930s The Royal Navy (UK), looking for an aircraft which could be used as a target for practice, developed a remote-controlled aircraft, a drone. In late 1930s, the USA manufactured a similar aircraft.

1940s Over 400 drones are being used in war conflicts, by that time. 1960s Drones are being used for surveillance and intelligence purposes in

Vietnam and South Asia. 1970s US production of drones has decreased and Israel increasingly

develops military drone technology. 1980s By that time, drones have been used during military conflict in a

variety of nations such as Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Somalia.

Timeline

issuing a new policy related to the continuous US targeted killings. April 2015 The UN reviews two counter-terrorism operations involving the use

of drones by the US government.

Duringthelastdecade,therehasbeenonlylittlediscussionondronestrikesintheUN.Butstill,therehavebeensomereportsandresolutionsthataimtosolvetheproblem,suchas:

1. StudyonTargetedKillings,HumanRightsCouncil,UNDoc.May28,2010,A/HRC/14/24

2. AuthorizationfortheUseofMilitaryForce(AUMF),September18,2001,S.J.RES.23

3. ProtectionofHumanRightswhilecounteringterrorism,GeneralAssembly,December18,2013,A/RES/68/178

4. ThreatstoInternationalPeaceandSecuritycausedbyterroristacts,2014,S/RES/2133

5. EuropeanUnionresolutioncallingfortheadoptionofanEUcommonpositionontheuseofarmeddrones;issuedFebruary25,2014

6. Ensuringuseofremotelypilotedaircraftorarmeddronesincounter-terrorismandmilitaryoperationsinaccordancewithinternationallaw,includinginternationalhumanrightsandhumanitarianlaw,HumanRightsCouncil,March2014,A/HRC/25/L.32

7. September22,2014–28thMeetingof27thRegularSessionoftheHumanRightsCouncil,discussionontheuseofremotelypilotedaircraftorarmeddronesincounter-terrorismmilitaryoperations.

UN involvement: Relevant resolutions and treaties

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There are possible solutions on the matter, in order to eliminate civilian casualties when it comes to drone strikes. Nations, which are using advanced drone technology for their targeted killings, should avoid killing innocent civilians, through extensive planning prior to the attack. Furthermore, all member states could cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in order to establish new legislation that will prosecute those that are responsible for drone usage and have killed or harmed innocent civilians, as they violate the humanitarian law and thus are considered war criminals. Additionally, countries should adopt the recommendations that were proposed by the Human Rights Watch organization in its joint letter to the Human Rights Council on September, 2014, that suggest that all nations should ensure that any measure employed to counter terrorism comply with states’ obligations under international law. Also, it proposed that all member states should make public the identity and the number of victims of a targeted killing in order to honor them and comply with the moral stands of their nation.

Possible solutions

Another way that can help the worldwide community, tackle this issue is for all member states to administrate transparency and public debate about the matter, by continuing to hold hearings on drone strikes, targeted killing policy and its relationship to and impact on broader counterterrorism and international security. Finally, all nations can develop consensus on the legal principles applicable to targeted killing outside a state’s territory, including those relating to sovereignty, proportionality and distinction, action that will be achieved through appropriate formal diplomatic channels and international dialogues on norms governing the use of drones and targeted killings.

Ø Howshoulddronesbeproperlyused(circumstances,regulations)?

Ø Shouldaninternationallegislativeframeworkconcerningtheuseofdronesbeenforced?

Ø WhatcouldtheUNdotorestricttheuseofUAVs?Maytheyonlybe

employedduringUNmandatedoperations?

Ø Howtocopewithdronestrikesoutsideoflegallydeclaredwarzones?

Ø Howcantheuseofdronesbemademoreaccountableandtransparent?

Ø Howcanciviliancasualtiesindronestrikesbeeliminated?

Research questions