[lbo-talk] Skynet rising at drone hub?

Joseph Catron jncatron at gmail.com
Thu Oct 25 23:30:16 PDT 2012



>
> As the pace of drone operations has intensified in Djibouti, Air Force
> mechanics have reported mysterious incidents in which the airborne robots
> went haywire.
>
> In March 2011, a Predator parked at the camp started its engine without
> any human direction, even though the ignition had been turned off and the
> fuel lines closed. Technicians concluded that a software bug had infected
> the “brains” of the drone, but never pinpointed the problem.

But at least the inmates running this asylum seem well-organized:

“Frog” was the alias chosen by a major assigned to the Joint Special
> Operations Command. At Lemonnier, he belonged to a special collection of
> Navy SEALs, Delta Force soldiers, Air Force commandos and Marines known
> simply as “the task force” ...
>
> Frog coordinated Predator hunts. He did not reveal his real name to anyone
> without a need to know, not even the ground-crew supervisors and operators
> and mechanics who cared for the Predators. The only contact came when Frog
> or his friends occasionally called from their compound to say it was time
> to ready a drone for takeoff or to prepare for a landing ...
>
> One secret that survived [a drone crash], however, was Frog’s identity.
> The official Air Force panel assigned to investigate the Predator accident
> couldn’t determine his real name, much less track him down for questioning.
>
> “Who is Frog?” one investigator demanded weeks later while interrogating a
> ground crew member, according to a transcript. “I’m sorry, I was just
> getting more explanation as to who Frog — is that a person? Or is that like
> a position?”
>
> The crew member explained that Frog was a liaison officer from the task
> force. “He’s a Pred guy,” he shrugged. “I actually don’t know his last
> name.”

http://wapo.st/UKtpNO

-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."



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