What should the U.S. do?

1: Put the drone program in the hands of the military

2: Reduce the secrecy of the program and force public officials to be accountable
for their decisions.
3: Reduce the secrecy of the program and force the public officials to be
accountable for their decisions
Facts about drones
Been used since 2004 in Pakistan
Strikes have occurred in Pakistan, Yemen, Philippines, Libya, Afghanistan
and Iraq
Can carry 2 missiles at a time
The missile is called Hellfire
The warheads are 20 pounds
Reaper (type of drone) can carry a Hellfire and a 500 pound bomb
When the 500 pound bomb hit it will kill 50% of people within the 200 feet
blast site
When have striked Pakistan 347 and 55 times on Yemen and Somalia
We have killed 4 americans with drones
4,700 people had died
276- 368 civilians have died
Arguments for option 2
1. The program is effective and should be continued in some form.
2. There needs to be greater transparency so that it is understood by the public
and officials can be held accountable.
3. The decision to kill enemy combatants including U.S citizens needs to be
subject to the checks on power provided by the U.S constitution
Drone Debate

Cons
Some of the Cons are we gain of using drones is short term while the damage
caused by them is long term. Drone strikes against Al Qaedas leaders cause
them to get very angry, and they recruit more people to retaliate. Before we
started using drone strikes, AL Qaeda had 100 members and controlled no land.
Now that we started, Al Qaeda has recruited 1,000+ members, and controls
many places in Yemen, and other countries. The drone attacks on Yemen could
result in homegrown terrorism in other countries. When the U.S. kills civilians in
drone attacks, civilians may start to see America as the problem, not the solution.
It kills innocent civilians. The count of innocent civilians killed today by a drone
strike is anywhere between 276-368. This is either from a missile off course, or
by a large strike that desolated the area.
Pros:
1. Saves Lives: The most obvious advantage of drones is that they greatly
reduce putting military personnel in harms way or in combat.
2. Low Cost: The second most obvious advantage of drones is their low
cost, because they are significantly cheaper to purchase, fuel, and
maintain than regular airplanes.
3. Low Risk: Since drones are smaller and can fly lower than traditional
airplanes, there is less risk to military hardware.
4. Operational Hours: Without a human pilot, drones can stay in operation
for significantly longer hours of operation without fatigue. Additionally,
drone pilots or operators can easily hand off controls of a drone without
any operational downtime.
5. Accuracy: Drones can have more pinpoint accuracy from greater
distances, thus reducing collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure.
6. Lethal: Drones are as lethal to enemy combats as regular airplanes.
7. Spying: Years before drones were used in combat; drones have proven to
increase surveillance, reconnaissance, and general military intelligence.
8. Deployment: Finally, drones are significantly easier and faster to deploy
than most alternatives.

Controversies about Drones

1. No public discussion on the drone strikes
2. No trial to decide if the killings were right or wrong

3. Americans who were against the Chinese government would kill innocent
Chinese people

Pros and Cons about drones

PROS
1.Helps attack the enemy
It helps attack the enemy and when we attack them, it doesnt kill any of our army.

2.Less expensive than traditional warfare

When we use drones, we pay for the military with our tax dollars and drones cost less than a lot
of other usual warfare equipment

3.Easy to support politically

CONS
1.They can kill civilians in the area they are
bombing
2.Not a long term solution
3.Secret CIA operation=no records of deaths and
no public discussion
4. U.S bears sole responsibility for attack

Opening speech:
We strongly believe drones can be used, but only with limitations. Drones have
been used since 2004 in Pakistan. Strikes have occurred in Pakistan, Yemen,

the Philippines, Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Reaper Drone can carry a
Hellfire and a 500 pound bomb. When the 500 pound bomb hits it will kill 50% of
people within the 200 foot blast site. Drones have struck Pakistan 347 times, and
struck Yemen and Somalia 55 times. 4,700 people had died and 276-368 of
those are civilians. We have killed 4 Americans with drones. Pros include, there
will be no American lives lost if the drone is shot down, they can operate for
much longer since there is no human pilot, and they are much easier to launch
than an average military plane. Some cons are they can go of target and kill
civilians, its not a long term solution, they are secret CIA operation so there are
no records of deaths and no public discussion. These are examples of the cons
of drones. There are pros and cons to using drones in war. We need to set
limitations on drones- such as making sure no drone fires if it is off course- so no
more innocent lives are lost. However, we should continue to use drones to spy
on enemies and kill terrorists.
Abbies speech: One of the controversies about drones is that theres no public
discussion on the drone strikes. There needs to be a discussion about it because
we need limitations. Without limitations, innocent people are killed just because
Americans are biased against their government. Another controversy is that there
is no trial held to decide if the killings were right or wrong. This means that
anyone could be killed and a judge would not decide if the person who murdered
them should be punished or not. If an American killed an innocent person for bad
reasons they will get away with it and that is not right. Also, some Americans may
be against the Chinese government and go after innocent Chinese people. Their
should be rules and limitations so the Americans in the United States Army dont
get away with guilty murder.

Cons Speech:
Some of the Cons are we gain of using drones is short term while the damage
caused by them is long term. Drone strikes against Al Qaedas leaders cause
them to get very angry, and they recruit more people to retaliate. Before we
started using drone strikes, AL Qaeda had 100 members and controlled no land.
Now that we started, Al Qaeda has recruited 1,000+ members, and controls
many places in Yemen, and other countries. The drone attacks on Yemen could

result in homegrown terrorism in other countries. When the U.S. kills civilians in
drone attacks, civilians may start to see America as the problem, not the solution.
It kills innocent civilians. The count of innocent civilians killed today by a drone
strike is anywhere between 276-368. This is either from a missile off course, or
by a large strike that desolated the area.

9. Saves Lives: The most obvious advantage of drones is that they greatly

reduce putting military personnel in harms way or in combat.

10. Low Cost: The second most obvious advantage of drones is their low
cost, because they are significantly cheaper to purchase, fuel, and
maintain than regular airplanes.
11. Low Risk: Since drones are smaller and can fly lower than traditional
airplanes, there is less risk to military hardware.
12. Operational Hours: Without a human pilot, drones can stay in operation
for significantly longer hours of operation without fatigue. Additionally,
drone pilots or operators can easily hand off controls of a drone without
any operational downtime.
13. Accuracy: Drones can have more pinpoint accuracy from greater
distances, thus reducing collateral damage to civilians and infrastructure.
14. Lethal: Drones are as lethal to enemy combats as regular airplanes.
15. Spying: Years before drones were used in combat; drones have proven to
increase surveillance, reconnaissance, and general military intelligence.
16. Deployment: Finally, drones are significantly easier and faster to deploy
than most alternatives.

Closing Statement
In conclusion there should be some limitations on drone use so we save lives, and
lower costs, but we dont kill innocent citizens in the process. Drones are great devices,
but limitations should be set.