April 16, 2024
MM#318--The Drone Wars: The New Age of Aerial Combat and Its Global Implications
Prepare for a riveting journey through the latest paradigm in modern conflict—drone warfare's dramatic rise as a game-changer on the international stage.
This episode unearths the chilling reality of Iran's assault on Israel, a stark deviation from their usual tactic of proxy warfare, marking a crucial turning point that could spell broader regional hostilities. With the Middle East on a knife-edge, we dissect the strategic employment of drones and missiles that have redefined the art of war, echoing the disruptive influence of air power in historical conflicts.
lets explore the intricate web of military tactics and the grave implications they hold for global stability. Special attention is paid to Seth Frantzman's compelling narrative in "The Drone Wars," while also drawing insights from Erik Prince on the escalating drone engagements in Ukraine.
Key Points from the Episode:
- This discourse isn't just about recounting events; it's an examination of our readiness to adapt to and understand the relentless march of technology in warfare.
- Witness the awe-inspiring capabilities of Israel's defense systems like the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow 3 during the April 2024 drone attack. It's a testament to what human ingenuity can accomplish when we aim to protect and secure our communities.
- The successful interception of nearly 99% of the drones launched in the attack isn't just a victory; it's a call to action. How can nations leverage this incredible feat to enhance their defense mechanisms as surely some drones were used in a defensive posture ?
- Beyond the technological marvels, the heart of this narrative is how we work together to bring artificial intelligence and drone warfare into a peaceful way in our newly emerging and technologically rich world.
- From the rifle to the jet, military tactics have always changed the battlefield and this most recent attack on Israel is another change in the face of war. Welcome to the drone wars.
Don't miss this crucial analysis that bridges the gap between history and headline, between yesterday's strategies and today's urgencies.
Other resources:
More goodness
Get your FREE Academy Review here!
Get our top book recommendations list
Get new podcast episodes dropped into your email box easily
Want to leave a review? Click here, and if we earned a five-star review from you **high five and knuckle bumps**, we appreciate it greatly, thank you so much!
Because we care what you think about what we think and our website, please email David@teammojoacademy.com, or if you want to leave us a quick FREE, painless voicemail, we would appreciate that as well.
Transcript
WEBVTT
00:00:07.612 --> 00:00:20.807
Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life.
00:00:20.807 --> 00:00:25.946
Now here's your host, david Kaiser flourishing life.
00:00:25.966 --> 00:00:26.829
Now here's your host, david Kaiser.
00:00:26.829 --> 00:00:35.204
Hello, I am David, and welcome back to another Mojo Minute.
00:00:35.204 --> 00:00:49.485
Just over the weekend we saw another attack on Israel, this time directly from Iran, which in the past has usually played their game of war, if you want to call it that from behind proxies throughout the Middle East such as Syria, hezbollah and Hamas.
00:00:49.485 --> 00:00:56.365
We learned this especially back in October of last year when Israel suffered their 9-11.
00:00:56.365 --> 00:01:19.049
But over the weekend the AP reported this booms, an air raid siren, sounded across Israel early Sunday after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a region-wide war.
00:01:19.049 --> 00:01:26.432
Military spokesmen said the launches numbered around 300, but 99% of them were intercepted.
00:01:26.432 --> 00:01:40.391
Again, that was an AP report, and of those 300 launches, 170 of them were drones, rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed.
00:01:40.391 --> 00:01:44.028
Let's go back to the AP article to get some more context.
00:01:44.028 --> 00:02:05.792
The Iranian attack, less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli strike in Syria that killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building, marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
00:02:05.792 --> 00:02:28.372
Condemnation from the United States I'm sorry from the United Nations chief and others was swift, with France saying Iran is risking a potential military escalation, britain chiming in with calling the attack reckless and Germany saying Iran and its proxies quote must stop immediately.
00:02:28.372 --> 00:02:39.555
Haghari said the vast majority of the intercepts came outside Israel's borders, including 10 cruise missiles that were intercepted by warplanes.
00:02:41.461 --> 00:02:48.774
Let's stop and talk about these 170 drones and drone warfare in general.
00:02:48.774 --> 00:02:59.754
One of the most headline-grabbing moments in the history of drone warfare was the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
00:02:59.754 --> 00:03:17.111
While the final mission was carried out by Navy SEALs on the ground, drones played a crucial role in gathering intelligence and monitoring the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
00:03:17.111 --> 00:03:20.060
It was a vivid demonstration of how drones have become indispensable in the hunt for high-value targets.
00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.263
The rise of ISIS further underscored the importance of drones.
00:03:23.263 --> 00:03:25.084
Now, the rise of ISIS further underscored the importance of drones.
00:03:25.084 --> 00:03:30.367
These unmanned marvels offered a way to combat a nimble and elusive enemy.
00:03:30.367 --> 00:03:46.063
Conducting precise strikes in difficult-to-reach areas, drones became the tool of choice for surveillance and targeting operations, altering the dynamics of counterterrorism efforts.
00:03:46.084 --> 00:03:48.711
And all this brings us to our book of the day.
00:03:48.711 --> 00:03:52.502
In fact, let's go to that book.
00:03:52.502 --> 00:04:02.235
It's Seth Fransman's seminal work the Drone Wars, pioneers, killing Machines, artificial Intelligence and the Battle of the Future.
00:04:02.235 --> 00:04:03.926
It was written in 2021.
00:04:03.926 --> 00:04:07.222
And the battle of the future.
00:04:07.222 --> 00:04:08.564
It was written in 2021.
00:04:08.564 --> 00:04:35.153
It was the first book I checked out just two weeks ago, when I heard Eric Prince, the founder of Blackwater and a former Navy SEAL, on his new podcast talk about how drone warfare was increasing dramatically in the war in Ukraine, and I thought this was most likely a monumental shift in the way warfare is conducted, similar to the way that air power changed the face of war in the mid-1930s.
00:04:35.975 --> 00:04:50.040
And then, obviously, the United States experienced that change up close and personal in the carrier based aircraft of the empire of Japan bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.
00:04:50.040 --> 00:05:02.103
Now, you might remember this, as it was not the first occurrence of that happening, that being how air power was changing the face of war.
00:05:02.103 --> 00:05:18.649
For example, take the British Royal Navy's daring attack on the Italian fleet at Toronto, italy, on the night of November 11th and 12th 1940.
00:05:18.649 --> 00:05:22.750
Italy on the night of November 11th and 12th 1940.
00:05:22.750 --> 00:05:30.841
This operation, known as Operation Judgment, is a remarkable example of the kind of audacious and innovative thinking that has shaped military tactics throughout history.
00:05:30.841 --> 00:05:46.937
The Royal Navy launched Fari Swordfish torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier, hms Illustrious, targeting the Italian fleet anchored at Toronto.
00:05:46.937 --> 00:05:50.026
The results were astonishing.
00:05:50.026 --> 00:05:54.312
The raid crippled the Italian fleet at a cost of just two aircraft lost.
00:05:54.312 --> 00:06:05.644
This operation effectively halved the Italian battleship fleet's operational capacity and demonstrated the lethal capability of carrier-based aircraft.
00:06:05.644 --> 00:06:08.627
That had never been done before.
00:06:08.627 --> 00:06:21.124
And here's the kicker Many historians and military analysts believe that the success of the Toronto raid inspired the Japanese planning for the Pearl Harbor attack.
00:06:21.124 --> 00:06:29.242
Nearly a year later, can you see the incredible chain reaction of learning and adaptation in military strategy?
00:06:29.242 --> 00:06:36.098
It's like each moment in history lays down a stepping stone for future actions.
00:06:36.098 --> 00:06:43.812
So now back to our book of the day, the Drone Wars by Seth Fransman.
00:06:45.221 --> 00:06:47.826
I had come to Mosul because of a vow.
00:06:47.826 --> 00:06:57.774
It was here that ISIS proclaimed its caliphate in 2014, when it took over parts of Syria and Iraq and began a genocide of minority groups.
00:06:57.774 --> 00:07:08.154
On the road to Mosul, the deserted towns that had been home to Christians in the plains of Nineveh spoke to the depredations of ISIS.
00:07:08.154 --> 00:07:17.026
In Qarash, the churches had been burned and used as bomb factories, their crosses torn down.
00:07:17.026 --> 00:07:29.494
It turned each house into a small fortress, with tunnels underneath and walls blown open so their fighters could move from room to room without being seen by from above by American drones.
00:07:29.494 --> 00:07:33.797
Now the Iraqi army was squeezing ISIS in Mosul.
00:07:33.797 --> 00:07:43.591
It had surrounded them in the city some 60,000 Iraqi soldiers against 5,000 jihadists.
00:07:43.591 --> 00:07:49.714
In the fall of 2016, the Iraqi Special Forces of the Counterterrorism Service had fought street by street to push the enemy back.
00:07:50.497 --> 00:07:57.353
Now, in the spring of 2017, I was a journalist embedded with Iraqi units tasked to clear western Mosul.
00:07:57.353 --> 00:08:05.093
The Mosul battle had been so horrid that whole units had lost columns of US-supplied Humvees.
00:08:05.093 --> 00:08:07.826
We were next in the meat grinder.
00:08:07.826 --> 00:08:13.531
That March I'd vowed to go into the city with the Iraqis to be there when it was liberated.
00:08:13.531 --> 00:08:19.627
In a naive way, I thought it was like going into Berlin in 1945 to see justice done.
00:08:19.627 --> 00:08:38.543
In 1945, to see justice done, the man with the boots, his thick black hair closely cropped, slung his Croatian VHS D2 rifle over his shoulder.
00:08:38.543 --> 00:08:40.948
The rifle had a bull pulp nose with a magazine behind the trigger.
00:08:40.948 --> 00:08:43.953
It looked a bit futuristic and it fit the battle we were heading into.
00:08:44.880 --> 00:08:51.974
Since January of 2017, isis had increasingly been using drones to attack the Iraqi military.
00:08:51.974 --> 00:08:54.548
These drones were spotted almost every day.
00:08:54.548 --> 00:09:07.548
Isis had built factories to convert civilian-use quadcopter drones basically the kind you buy at a tech store, which have four little helicopter blades, into death from above.
00:09:07.548 --> 00:09:15.494
Isis puts grenades and mortars on them and also use them to film attacks and conduct surveillance.
00:09:15.494 --> 00:09:18.067
There was no way to fight the drone threat.
00:09:18.067 --> 00:09:27.873
Soldiers had tried to spray gunfire into the air, but it was hard to shoot down a drone the size of a forearm from 100 yards away when it was moving.
00:09:27.873 --> 00:09:32.464
Some Iraqis and US-led coalition forces tried jamming the drones.
00:09:32.464 --> 00:09:42.825
Bizarre-looking jammer guns that looked more like big toy squirt guns with an antenna on them were offered to the troops.
00:09:42.825 --> 00:09:49.414
The jamming was spotty and soldiers like the man with the boots hadn't been trained to use them.
00:09:51.841 --> 00:10:05.490
So with the increase of drone attacks occurring all over the world, from Ukraine to Israel, we should begin to keep our eyes peeled on the skies above, not to be paranoid, but to be aware of our surroundings.
00:10:05.490 --> 00:10:13.214
The impact of drone warfare on both the military and civilians cannot I repeat, cannot be overstated.
00:10:13.214 --> 00:10:21.399
For soldiers, the psychological toll of operating drones remotely has been a subject of increasing study and concern.
00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:33.111
For civilians in conflict zones and frankly, in the United States with a very open border, the presence of drones overhead is a constant reminder of a looming threat of violence.
00:10:33.111 --> 00:10:35.145
Let's go back to the book.
00:10:35.145 --> 00:10:38.859
Drones are everywhere.
00:10:38.859 --> 00:10:49.995
In January 2020, mysterious drone formations appeared in Colorado, terrorizing farmers and leaving people fearful about what might come next.
00:10:49.995 --> 00:10:57.582
They might be lingering near a nuclear power plant, perhaps posing a threat to millions In the Middle East.
00:10:57.582 --> 00:11:04.934
The United States used a drone to kill Qasem Soleimani, a key Iranian commander, in 2020.
00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:10.952
Drones are transforming the battlefield from Syria to Azerbaijan, libya to Yemen.
00:11:10.952 --> 00:11:15.388
For militaries and security agencies, the main users of drones.
00:11:15.388 --> 00:11:18.561
The UAV market is expanding as well.
00:11:18.561 --> 00:11:23.934
There were more than 20,000 military drones in use by 2020.
00:11:23.934 --> 00:11:37.633
Once the province of only a few high-tech militaries like the United States and Israel, drones are now being built in Turkey, china, russia and smaller countries like Taiwan may be joining the military drone market.
00:11:37.633 --> 00:11:39.642
It's big business too.
00:11:39.642 --> 00:11:46.354
$96 billion will be spent on military drones between 2019 and 2029.
00:11:46.354 --> 00:11:50.245
Militaries may soon be spending more on drones than tanks.
00:11:51.225 --> 00:12:04.092
Much as navies transitioned away from giant, vulnerable battleships to more agile ships, terrorists are using them too, buying civilian drones and putting grenades and bombs on them.
00:12:04.092 --> 00:12:13.894
This is a turning point in military history, like the jet propulsion revolution or the development of the rifle.
00:12:13.894 --> 00:12:24.495
So, in today's Mojo Minute, know that as we continue to navigate these complexities of conflict in our 21st century.
00:12:24.495 --> 00:12:35.182
Drones will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping our approach to security, to ethics and to international relations.
00:12:35.182 --> 00:12:43.956
Now the sky's the limit and the future of drone warfare is as promising as it is challenging.
00:12:43.956 --> 00:12:55.171
We should not shrink from these challenges, much like Israel has not shrinked, and they live in a very brutal, brutal neighborhood.
00:12:55.171 --> 00:13:07.730
Thank God for their defense capabilities, and I remember growing up when everyone made fun of Ronald Reagan and his Star Wars idea.
00:13:07.730 --> 00:13:11.129
Sounds like it was a good idea, after all.
00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:25.385
Now, together, let's keep our sights set on learning and improving and marching towards a world where innovation, especially with drones, paves the way for peace.
00:13:25.385 --> 00:13:30.150
And, as always, let's keep fighting the good fight.
00:13:35.721 --> 00:13:36.966
Thank you for joining us.
00:13:36.966 --> 00:13:40.350
We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast.
00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:49.533
Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources.
00:13:49.533 --> 00:13:58.048
Until next time, keep getting your mojo on, thank you.
00:00:07.612 --> 00:00:20.807
00:00:20.807 --> 00:00:25.946
00:00:25.966 --> 00:00:26.829
00:00:26.829 --> 00:00:35.204
00:00:35.204 --> 00:00:49.485
00:00:49.485 --> 00:00:56.365
00:00:56.365 --> 00:01:19.049
00:01:19.049 --> 00:01:26.432
00:01:26.432 --> 00:01:40.391
00:01:40.391 --> 00:01:44.028
00:01:44.028 --> 00:02:05.792
00:02:05.792 --> 00:02:28.372
00:02:28.372 --> 00:02:39.555
00:02:41.461 --> 00:02:48.774
00:02:48.774 --> 00:02:59.754
00:02:59.754 --> 00:03:17.111
00:03:17.111 --> 00:03:20.060
00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.263
00:03:23.263 --> 00:03:25.084
00:03:25.084 --> 00:03:30.367
00:03:30.367 --> 00:03:46.063
00:03:46.084 --> 00:03:48.711
00:03:48.711 --> 00:03:52.502
00:03:52.502 --> 00:04:02.235
00:04:02.235 --> 00:04:03.926
00:04:03.926 --> 00:04:07.222
00:04:07.222 --> 00:04:08.564
00:04:08.564 --> 00:04:35.153
00:04:35.975 --> 00:04:50.040
00:04:50.040 --> 00:05:02.103
00:05:02.103 --> 00:05:18.649
00:05:18.649 --> 00:05:22.750
00:05:22.750 --> 00:05:30.841
00:05:30.841 --> 00:05:46.937
00:05:46.937 --> 00:05:50.026
00:05:50.026 --> 00:05:54.312
00:05:54.312 --> 00:06:05.644
00:06:05.644 --> 00:06:08.627
00:06:08.627 --> 00:06:21.124
00:06:21.124 --> 00:06:29.242
00:06:29.242 --> 00:06:36.098
00:06:36.098 --> 00:06:43.812
00:06:45.221 --> 00:06:47.826
00:06:47.826 --> 00:06:57.774
00:06:57.774 --> 00:07:08.154
00:07:08.154 --> 00:07:17.026
00:07:17.026 --> 00:07:29.494
00:07:29.494 --> 00:07:33.797
00:07:33.797 --> 00:07:43.591
00:07:43.591 --> 00:07:49.714
00:07:50.497 --> 00:07:57.353
00:07:57.353 --> 00:08:05.093
00:08:05.093 --> 00:08:07.826
00:08:07.826 --> 00:08:13.531
00:08:13.531 --> 00:08:19.627
00:08:19.627 --> 00:08:38.543
00:08:38.543 --> 00:08:40.948
00:08:40.948 --> 00:08:43.953
00:08:44.880 --> 00:08:51.974
00:08:51.974 --> 00:08:54.548
00:08:54.548 --> 00:09:07.548
00:09:07.548 --> 00:09:15.494
00:09:15.494 --> 00:09:18.067
00:09:18.067 --> 00:09:27.873
00:09:27.873 --> 00:09:32.464
00:09:32.464 --> 00:09:42.825
00:09:42.825 --> 00:09:49.414
00:09:51.841 --> 00:10:05.490
00:10:05.490 --> 00:10:13.214
00:10:13.214 --> 00:10:21.399
00:10:21.399 --> 00:10:33.111
00:10:33.111 --> 00:10:35.145
00:10:35.145 --> 00:10:38.859
00:10:38.859 --> 00:10:49.995
00:10:49.995 --> 00:10:57.582
00:10:57.582 --> 00:11:04.934
00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:10.952
00:11:10.952 --> 00:11:15.388
00:11:15.388 --> 00:11:18.561
00:11:18.561 --> 00:11:23.934
00:11:23.934 --> 00:11:37.633
00:11:37.633 --> 00:11:39.642
00:11:39.642 --> 00:11:46.354
00:11:46.354 --> 00:11:50.245
00:11:51.225 --> 00:12:04.092
00:12:04.092 --> 00:12:13.894
00:12:13.894 --> 00:12:24.495
00:12:24.495 --> 00:12:35.182
00:12:35.182 --> 00:12:43.956
00:12:43.956 --> 00:12:55.171
00:12:55.171 --> 00:13:07.730
00:13:07.730 --> 00:13:11.129
00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:25.385
00:13:25.385 --> 00:13:30.150
00:13:35.721 --> 00:13:36.966
00:13:36.966 --> 00:13:40.350
00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:49.533
00:13:49.533 --> 00:13:58.048
Listen On
Support On
