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.
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!
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.
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!
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. Now here's your host, david Kaiser flourishing life.
Speaker 2:
Now here's your host, david Kaiser. Hello, I am David, and welcome back to another Mojo Minute. 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. We learned this especially back in October of last year when Israel suffered their 9-11. 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. Military spokesmen said the launches numbered around 300, but 99% of them were intercepted. Again, that was an AP report, and of those 300 launches, 170 of them were drones, rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed. Let's go back to the AP article to get some more context. 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. 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. Haghari said the vast majority of the intercepts came outside Israel's borders, including 10 cruise missiles that were intercepted by warplanes.
Speaker 2:
Let's stop and talk about these 170 drones and drone warfare in general. One of the most headline-grabbing moments in the history of drone warfare was the assassination of Osama bin Laden in 2011. 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. It was a vivid demonstration of how drones have become indispensable in the hunt for high-value targets. The rise of ISIS further underscored the importance of drones. Now, the rise of ISIS further underscored the importance of drones. These unmanned marvels offered a way to combat a nimble and elusive enemy. 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.
Speaker 2:
And all this brings us to our book of the day. In fact, let's go to that book. It's Seth Fransman's seminal work the Drone Wars, pioneers, killing Machines, artificial Intelligence and the Battle of the Future. It was written in 2021. And the battle of the future. It was written in 2021. 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.
Speaker 2:
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. 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. 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. Italy on the night of November 11th and 12th 1940. 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. The Royal Navy launched Fari Swordfish torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier, hms Illustrious, targeting the Italian fleet anchored at Toronto. The results were astonishing. The raid crippled the Italian fleet at a cost of just two aircraft lost. This operation effectively halved the Italian battleship fleet's operational capacity and demonstrated the lethal capability of carrier-based aircraft. That had never been done before. 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. Nearly a year later, can you see the incredible chain reaction of learning and adaptation in military strategy? It's like each moment in history lays down a stepping stone for future actions. So now back to our book of the day, the Drone Wars by Seth Fransman.
Speaker 2:
I had come to Mosul because of a vow. 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. 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. In Qarash, the churches had been burned and used as bomb factories, their crosses torn down. 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. Now the Iraqi army was squeezing ISIS in Mosul. It had surrounded them in the city some 60,000 Iraqi soldiers against 5,000 jihadists. In the fall of 2016, the Iraqi Special Forces of the Counterterrorism Service had fought street by street to push the enemy back.
Speaker 2:
Now, in the spring of 2017, I was a journalist embedded with Iraqi units tasked to clear western Mosul. The Mosul battle had been so horrid that whole units had lost columns of US-supplied Humvees. We were next in the meat grinder. That March I'd vowed to go into the city with the Iraqis to be there when it was liberated. In a naive way, I thought it was like going into Berlin in 1945 to see justice done. 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. The rifle had a bull pulp nose with a magazine behind the trigger. It looked a bit futuristic and it fit the battle we were heading into.
Speaker 2:
Since January of 2017, isis had increasingly been using drones to attack the Iraqi military. These drones were spotted almost every day. 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. Isis puts grenades and mortars on them and also use them to film attacks and conduct surveillance. There was no way to fight the drone threat. 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. Some Iraqis and US-led coalition forces tried jamming the drones. Bizarre-looking jammer guns that looked more like big toy squirt guns with an antenna on them were offered to the troops. The jamming was spotty and soldiers like the man with the boots hadn't been trained to use them.
Speaker 2:
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. The impact of drone warfare on both the military and civilians cannot I repeat, cannot be overstated. For soldiers, the psychological toll of operating drones remotely has been a subject of increasing study and concern. 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. Let's go back to the book. Drones are everywhere. In January 2020, mysterious drone formations appeared in Colorado, terrorizing farmers and leaving people fearful about what might come next. They might be lingering near a nuclear power plant, perhaps posing a threat to millions In the Middle East. The United States used a drone to kill Qasem Soleimani, a key Iranian commander, in 2020.
Speaker 2:
Drones are transforming the battlefield from Syria to Azerbaijan, libya to Yemen. For militaries and security agencies, the main users of drones. The UAV market is expanding as well. There were more than 20,000 military drones in use by 2020. 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. It's big business too. $96 billion will be spent on military drones between 2019 and 2029. Militaries may soon be spending more on drones than tanks.
Speaker 2:
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. This is a turning point in military history, like the jet propulsion revolution or the development of the rifle. So, in today's Mojo Minute, know that as we continue to navigate these complexities of conflict in our 21st century. Drones will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping our approach to security, to ethics and to international relations. Now the sky's the limit and the future of drone warfare is as promising as it is challenging. We should not shrink from these challenges, much like Israel has not shrinked, and they live in a very brutal, brutal neighborhood. Thank God for their defense capabilities, and I remember growing up when everyone made fun of Ronald Reagan and his Star Wars idea. Sounds like it was a good idea, after all. 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. And, as always, let's keep fighting the good fight.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast. 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. Until next time, keep getting your mojo on, thank you.