Agenda for 3/11

1. Wrap-up/Reflect upon Debate

2. Drones in the News

• CNN Dones Segment
• 60 Minutes Drone Segment

3. Drones - Background Reading

• Complete the "History of Drones - Article Questions" as we read

4. Drones - "Did you Know?"

1. The first recorded use of attack drones occurred on July 15, 1849 when the Habsburg Austrian Empire launched 200 pilotless balloons armed with bombs against the revolution-minded citizens of Venice. [1]
2. According to a July 18, 2013 survey, 61% of Americans supported drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Support spanned the political divide, including Republicans (69%), independents (60%), and Democrats (59%). [2]
3. The first targeted drone strike by the United States occurred on Feb. 4, 2002 in Afghanistan when a CIA Predator drone fired on a group they believed included Osama bin Laden. The targets, all killed, were civilians gathering scrap metal. [3]
4. The most common drone used for attack purposes, General Atomics' MQ-9 Reaper, has a range of 3,682 miles, an operational altitude of 50,000 ft, and a maximum flight time of 27 hours. [4]
5. Civilians accounted for 8-17% of all deaths from US drones in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

4. Begin "Drone" (2014) - 

DRONE is a documentary about the covert CIA drone war. Through voices on both sides of this new technology, DRONE reveals crucial information about the drone war in Pakistan and offers unique insights into the nature of drone warfare.