Customs & Border Protection Considered Weaponizing Drones

[Hissyspit]

Source: Electronic Frontiers Foundation

JULY 2, 2013 | BY JENNIFER LYNCH

Customs & Border Protection Considered Weaponizing Drones=

A Customs & Border Protection (CPB) report, released in response to EFF’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the agency, shows CBP has considered adding weapons to its domestic Predator drones.

The report, titled “Concept of Operations for CBP’s Predator B Unmanned Aircraft System” and submitted to Congress on June 29, 2010 shows that, not only is the agency planning to sharply increase the number of Predator drones it flies and the amount of surveillance it conducts by 2016 (detailed further in a separate blog post tomorrow), but it has considered equipping its Predators with “non-lethal weapons designed to immobilize” targets of interest. (p. 63).

Predator drones, manufactured by General Atomics for the US military and first flown in Bosnia in 1995, have been designed to carry weapons in addition to surveillance equipment like live video and thermal imaging cameras and Synthetic Aperture Radar. The Predator B drone flown by CBP is popular due to its ability to fly at high or low altitudes for up to 27 hours without refueling and its capacity to carry nearly 4,000 pounds of surveillance equipment or weapons. In fact, General Atomics markets them as providing “a long-endurance, persistent surveillance/strike capability for the war fighter.”

However, this is the first we’ve heard of any federal agency proposing using weapons on drones flown domestically. That CBP has, without broader public discussion, considered this step—combined with the fact that the agency (with Congress’ blessing, if the immigration bill is approved (pdf, p. 92)) is planning to sharply increase the number of drones it flies—should cause serious concern for Americans.

Read more: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/07/customs-border-protection-considered-weaponizing-drones

[AtheistCrusader]

1. Of course they have.

Who in their right mind wouldn't assume they thought of it?

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I told ya so.....

Help us, Obi Wan. We need you.

[santamargarita]

3. Spent all of my money on a coyote, getting shot...

at by right-wing vigilantes, almost out of water, it's 118 degrees and now this...just so I can work for slave wages with no benefits.
The American Dream!

[Kelvin Mace]

4. And people told me I was an alarmist

for even thinking this would happen.

What are they going to do, kill anyone they "think" is illegal near the border?

“non-lethal weapons designed to immobilize” targets of interest.

You know, if I could wrap Orwell's corpse in copper wire, I could generate enough power to several states.

[The Straight Story]

5. Kick (nt)

[Marrah_G]

6. What could go wrong?

[XemaSab]

7. Black in Florida? You get the death penalty.

Brown near the border? You get the death penalty.

Just another day in the RCBOEE.

Edit: Forgot about St. Ronnie.