How Small Drones Are Changing Conflict — and Peace

Excerpt:  “As small consumer drones became widely available in the 2010s, military and technology experts began to envision their potential impact on conflict. A decade on, there are not yet any ‘starling swarms’ of small, lightweight drones operating in the thousands in unison on the battlefield. But first-person view (FPV) drones have been used in surveillance deployments and manually piloted sorties — setting off a global paradigm shift in conventional warfare in the process. Military leaders have discussed these changes in exceptional detail. However, this paradigm shift not only fundamentally alters battlefield strategy but also changes the political calculations that armed actors and political leaders use when considering whether and how to engage in peace processes — an issue that has been largely overlooked thus far.”