Mark addresses an issue I certainly had not thought of. I do not think I have seen anything else written along these lines from this perspective. The attack has not made much of a blip on the news media's radar.
V/R
Dave
May the robot shoot back at the human?
By Mark Hagerott
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 9, 2012
Something profound happened in early November 2012, and it was not Gen. David Petraeus' resignation. Rather, history was made when two manned Iranian SU-25s attacked an unmanned American aircraft in international airspace above the waters of the Persian Gulf, an area near and dear to many a Hampton Roads sailor and pilot.
The attack was unprecedented in peacetime. The American decision not to respond in a manner similar to past responses when manned aircraft have been attacked may well establish a new precedent for one of the most fundamental questions going forward into the 21st century: the relationship between humans and robots on the battlefield.
As a Norfolk-based sailor for almost 10 years, I have made multiple deployments into war zones. When going into harm's way, the Rules of Engagement were always clear: When in international waters or air space, if U.S. Navy ships or aircraft came under attack, we had the right to self defense and were authorized in all cases to take immediate defensive action (ie., shoot back).
Historically, an attack in international waters or air space is a matter of the highest import. Tensions rise, and in some cases nations are brought to the brink of war. When in 1968 North Korea attacked the USS Pueblo, an unarmed intelligence ship in international waters, the American military went on high alert, and war was not out of the question. When Libya threatened freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Sidra and fired at Navy aircraft in 1981, U.S. forces shot down the Libyan attackers.
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