America’s Secret Empire of Drone Bases

October 24, 2011 by kyle from DMZ.hawaii.org

Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam could start controlling one of the military’s newest and most lethal weapons.The Air Force announced that the base is a candidate to operate Predator and Reaper Aircraft.

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The aircraft would not be assigned to Hawaii, however, they would be controlled from here [...]

If Hickam is selected as a drone base, it would join an invisible empire of drone bases that have multiplied in recent years. Nick Turse has written an excellent expose on the vast network of U.S. drone bases:

Using military documents, press accounts and other open source information, an in-depth analysis by AlterNet has identified at least 60 bases integral to U.S. military and CIA drone operations. There may, however, be more, since a cloak of secrecy about drone warfare leaves the full size and scope of these bases distinctly in the shadows.

Here is “America’s Secret Empire of Drone Bases: Its Full Extent Revealed for the First Time”.

Turse believes that the impending Pentagon budget cuts will mean an increase in the use of drones:

Drones are now the bedrock of Washington’s future military planning and — with counterinsurgency out of favor — the preferred way of carrying out wars abroad.

The global network of more than 1000 U.S. military bases will provide infrastructure for expanding the drone programs:

Earlier this year, an analysis by TomDispatch.com determined that there are more than 1,000 U.S. military bases scattered across the globe — a shadowy base-world that provides plenty of existing sites that can, and no doubt will, host drones. But facilities selected for a pre-drone world may not always prove optimal locations for America’s current and future undeclared wars and assassination campaigns. So further expansion in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia is likely.

What are the Air Force’s plans in this regard? Lieutenant Colonel John Haynes was typically circumspect. “We are constantly evaluating potential operating locations based on evolving mission needs,” he said. If the last decade is any indication, those “needs” will only continue to grow.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

What is the rate of accidents? Civilian casualties? Military.com reports that a military cargo plane was struck by a drone in Afghanistan recently:

A military cargo plane from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station was damaged when an unmanned drone crashed into it during an Afghanistan mission last month, officials have confirmed.

The C-130 Hercules transport plane, assigned to the 914th Airlift Wing of the Air Force, had to make an emergency landing after it was struck by the drone on Aug. 15, authorities said.

The rapid rise of drones has opened up a can of ethical and legal issues that humanity has yet to reckoned with.

Air Force Official Visits Guam, But Snubs Leaders

THURSDAY, 08 SEPTEMBER 2011 01:43 BY JANELA BUHAIN | MARIANAS VARIETY

LOCAL leaders weren’t notified about a visit U.S. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley made last month to Andersen Air Force Base for an Airmen’s Call.

Donley was touring the Pacific region to reconnect and thank Airmen serving in the area, according to an article posted on the USAF website. He was on Guam Aug. 29.

The apparent snub has caused frustration among local leaders, particularly Senator Judi Guthertz.

“We’ve repeatedly emphasized the need for harmonious relationships between the Guam civilian community and all branches of the military operating in Guam as the buildup and related work goes forward,” Guthertz said. “This insensitive handling of the visit by Secretary Donley doesn’t help matters.”

Guthertz said she was disappointed with the protocol and general handling of the visit, and hopes 36th Wing Commander Brig. Gen. John Doucette will reconsider the relationship between the base and the civilian community in light of this.

In the article, Donley was quoted as saying, “As the farthest western piece of sovereign territory in the U.S., Guam is critically important to the United States. This is a great wing, and it plays a very important role in this region, and for our nation and our Air Force.”

Apart from encouraging the men and women in uniform and applauding their efforts, Donley also spoke in-depth about the ongoing and future challenges the Air Force faces in light of the “expected reductions” in the Department of Defense budget.

Donley said: “We're in a time of great financial volatility and fiscal crisis at home. The need to get our fiscal 'house' in order has become a national priority. In the last couple of years, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen identified the national debt as the single biggest threat to our national security.”

According to the Air Force public affairs office, a response to Guthertz from Secretary Donley’s office is forthcoming.
Donley also reportedly visited Singapore and Australia in the following days.

Meanwhile, Guthertz, chairperson of the Committee on the Guam Military Buildup, questioned the leadership of the new Joint Guam Program Office director, Capt. Daniel Cuff, who replaced Col. John Jackson, (USMC Ret) in June. Guthertz has yet to meet the new director and wondered if policies have shifted in dealing with the Guam community.

“Director Cuff is most welcome to visit my office at any time to share views on the status of the buildup,” Guthertz added.