Persuasive Essay On Drones

Do you know what a drone is? A drone, also known as a UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle. There are many different and beneficial ways that drones can be used such as delivering packages, saving lives, and performing military attacks, however, using drones for attacks is controversial. Drones should be used in strikes because they can attack terrorists, they are cheaper, and there are less human deaths opposed to other weapons used.
Drones play an important role when it comes to eliminating terrorists. From 2015-2017 there have been 1,546 strikes in Afghanistan, 425 in Pakistan, and 249 in Yemen (Drone Strikes). “U.S drones have killed an estimated 3,300 al Qaeda, Taliban, and other jihadist operatives… which includes over 50 senior leaders” (Why Drones Work). Drones can target and kill leaders which will weaken the terrorist groups because inexperienced leaders will take their place and perform inadequately. Michael Hayden, former CIA chief, states, “ The targeted killing program has been the most precise and effective application of firepower in the history of armed conflict” (Horgan). To add on, “in the 48 drones strikes conducted in Pakistan last year, fewer than two percent of those killed were civilians” (Ratnesar). It is important to have precision when using weapons because civilians will be less likely to be

The military will be saving money with the use of drones. “By using less ships, planes and troops, but continuing to fund elite special forces like drones, the Obama administration plans to achieve 487 billion dollars in cuts over the next decade” (Martinez). This is because “drones cost about 2,500-3,500 dollars per flight hour while planes can cost ten times as much at 30,000 dollar an hour” (Understanding Drones). Overall, drones will be cheaper to purchase and maintain than other aircraft because they have a cost advantage over