Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution - Richard Whittle

Published in "Warhistoryonline".

Title: Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution

Author: Richard Whittle

ISBN: 978-0-8050-9964-5

Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Year: 2014

Hardcover

Pages: 353

Photos: 26

Predator missions and strike footage is today considered to be rather mundane in the world of news media; real time video of ‘bad guys’ being struck by hellfire missiles or smart bombs is no longer the stuff of science fiction. However, it was not that long ago that this level of technological sophistication left its viewers incredulous. Whittle’s book traces the history not only of the development of the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), its transition from a purely reconnaissance to a weapons platform and  ultimately its adoption and employment in operations throughout the world. He also discusses the challenges related to UAV operations, especially with the addition of weapons to its arsenal and specifically command and control and legal hurdles that had to be dealt with. 

Whittle’s premise, that the UAV was a revolutionary surveillance and weapons platform that changed the very nature of warfare, is justified by the end of the book but is also tempered by the degree of difficulty that the UAV program faced by conventional thinking and bureaucratic inertia. Like many breakthrough technologies, it was envisioned and developed by civilian companies who found it very difficult to convince the government and military of its relevance on the modern battlefield. 

 

The book highlights a number of interesting consequences of the UAV program and the advent of new technology onto the battlefield: 

a.       The marked increase in the challenges of micro-management as senior officers used the ‘real time’ technology to provide oversight, advice and assistance well below their traditional span of control;

b.      The challenges of bureaucracy as an impediment to change and, concurrently, what can be accomplished in incredibly short periods given the right motivation and backing (referring here to the success of the Big Safari organization in implementing technological advances in the UAV and communications systems);

c.       The challenge of command and control when multiple agencies operate within the same (developmental or operational) battle space. In the case of the Predator, various agencies such as the USAF, CIA US Army and Navy all had proverbial fingers in the pie thereby frustrating clear lines of authority;

d.      The time delay relating to authority for launch when it is centralized at the most senior levels; and

e.      The legal confusion related to what kind of weapon was represented by the Predator UAV. For example, could it be controlled and launched on third party soil, did it violate international treaties and did it represent a violation of Federal law with regard to CIA oversight?

 

Like most revolutionary programs, the UAV (Predator) project was replete with examples of incredible brilliance and breath-taking myopia. Whittle has translated the convoluted development of the UAV into a very readable and engaging book. There are many lessons to be derived from this experience for any entrepreneur or capital procurement program officer. It is very true the adage presented in the book that change requires a ‘seminal’ event to break comfort zones. The UAV project benefitted from one such event in the form of the September 11 attacks and has not looked back.

God's Terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult and the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad - Charles Allen

Title: God's Terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult and the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad

Author: Charles Allen

ISBN: 978-0-349-11879-6

Publisher: Abacus

Softcover

Pages: 349

Photos/Maps: 30/5

Wahhabism has been in existence for centuries and has been the source of radical destabilization within regions of the British Raj, India, the Ottoman Empire, the Nejd and, in more modern times, the Western world. It also maintains very deep and traditional ties with and enjoys ongoing patronage and support from one of the most longstanding allies of the West in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia. It represents perhaps the most extreme form of Islam in history and has been traditionally disavowed by moderate and mainstream Islamic schools. It has also been the subject of repeated efforts to destroy it through military action and, while it may have been diminished, it has never been eliminated.

Given that it is the foundation of the groups that represent the perceived greatest threat to the West and its tenants (Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Hindustani Fanatics etc), relatively little is known and even less understood about the motivations and religious underpinnings that drive these followers to act as they do. Allen has undertaken to not only trace the history and development of Wahhabism but to also provide the context within which the doctrine of this group has been nurtured. This is critical to the understanding of what drives the Wahhabist and the author has done a superlative job at boiling down a very complex issue into a manageable and comprehensible narrative. Most importantly, he has done this without diminishing the message or 'dumbing down' the content.

It is interesting to see how the cult of the personality figures so prominently within Wahhabism. Centred upon religious Madrassahs or schools, the students are indoctrinated from a young age, with limited external exposure and often from economically challenged backgrounds. They are vulnerable to the influences and charisma of their teachers who operate free from external oversight. Like cults anywhere, they prey upon the weak and impressionable. However, it must be stated that the roots of wahhabist discontent stem from a complex cocktail of disillusionment with the status quo, fear of change to the tenants of Islam and a perceived inability to influence from within the traditional structure.

Wahhabists are not interested in debate or discussion. Allen's book paints a very clear picture of a group operating under the notion that, regardless of the source of the challenge, the initiator is wrong and they are correct. He does not suggest ways to address or undermine the influence of wahhabism, merely outlining the how's and why's relating to the creation and flourishing of it.

 

A fascinating read and a superb synopsis of the history of this religious organization. It is not going away nor will it be stamped out through military action alone. It is not a movement that relies upon centralized direction, nor will it be short of recruits while misguided teachers prey upon the uneducated and destitute. I strongly recommend this book; it is fair, balanced and, above all, educational.

The Lieutenant Don’t Know - Jeff Clement

Title: The Lieutenant Don’t Know
Author: Jeff Clement
ISBN: 978-1-61200-248-4
Publisher: Casemate
Hardcover
Pages: 264
Photographs/Maps: 46/2
 
The author has drafted a very readable account of his training and deployment as a Lieutenant in charge of 2^nd Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 6 in Afghanistan during 2010. He focusses a great deal upon the warrior ethos of the Marines and the flexibility with which they are employed. His observations on tactical leadership and planning are insightful and backed up through personal experience and examples. I enjoyed his obvious enthusiasm, candor and honesty; his tale is one of personal growth as a leader and the successes and failures that he met while enroute. This is a very informative and worthwhile book for a junior officer.