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On killing remotely : the psychology of killing with drones / Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Phelps (USMC, Retired).

By: Publication details: New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2021.Edition: First editionDescription: xviii, 348 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 0316628298
  • 9780316628297
Other title:
  • Psychology of killing with drones
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 355.001/9 23
LOC classification:
  • U22.3 .P54 2021
Contents:
The evolution of killing from a distance -- An insatiable appetite : rise of the robots -- The machines -- The people -- The missions -- The methods -- How do we kill with RPAs? -- How do we respond to killing remotely? -- Who is the most affected by killing remotely? : the demographics -- Are we at war? -- RPA and the warrior ethos -- Dehumanizing the enemy versus intimacy with the target -- Distance from the target -- Sleep and mental armor -- Demands of authority : everyone's in the cockpit -- Group absolution : killing as a crew -- Target attractiveness -- The video game comparison -- Culture -- A toolbox of best practices -- Where do we go from here? : future killer robots.
Summary: "Throughout history society has determined specific rules of engagement between adversaries in armed conflict. With advances in technology, from armor to in the Middle Ages to nerve gas in World War I to weapons of mass destruction in our own time, the rules have constantly evolved. Today, when killing the enemy can seem palpably risk-free and tantamount to playing a violent video game, what constitutes warfare? What is the effect of remote combat on individual soldiers? And what are the unforeseen repercussions that could affect us all? Lt Col Wayne Phelps, former commander of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft unit, addresses these questions and many others as he tells the story of the men and women of today's 'chair force.' Exploring the ethics of remote military engagement, the misconceptions about PTSD among RPA operators, and the specter of military weaponry controlled by robots, his book is an urgent and compelling reminder that it should always be difficult to kill another human being lest we risk losing what makes us human."--publisher's website.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 327-332) and index.

The evolution of killing from a distance -- An insatiable appetite : rise of the robots -- The machines -- The people -- The missions -- The methods -- How do we kill with RPAs? -- How do we respond to killing remotely? -- Who is the most affected by killing remotely? : the demographics -- Are we at war? -- RPA and the warrior ethos -- Dehumanizing the enemy versus intimacy with the target -- Distance from the target -- Sleep and mental armor -- Demands of authority : everyone's in the cockpit -- Group absolution : killing as a crew -- Target attractiveness -- The video game comparison -- Culture -- A toolbox of best practices -- Where do we go from here? : future killer robots.

"Throughout history society has determined specific rules of engagement between adversaries in armed conflict. With advances in technology, from armor to in the Middle Ages to nerve gas in World War I to weapons of mass destruction in our own time, the rules have constantly evolved. Today, when killing the enemy can seem palpably risk-free and tantamount to playing a violent video game, what constitutes warfare? What is the effect of remote combat on individual soldiers? And what are the unforeseen repercussions that could affect us all? Lt Col Wayne Phelps, former commander of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft unit, addresses these questions and many others as he tells the story of the men and women of today's 'chair force.' Exploring the ethics of remote military engagement, the misconceptions about PTSD among RPA operators, and the specter of military weaponry controlled by robots, his book is an urgent and compelling reminder that it should always be difficult to kill another human being lest we risk losing what makes us human."--publisher's website.

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