Drones dominate the discourse in conversations on the current state of war and the implications for future warfare. Yet, the discussion rarely examines drone warfare in the context of how they contribute to strategically decisive outcomes in conflict and war. This article critically analyses the impact of drone warfare’s ability to generate control of territory in land wars and the impact of that outcome in determining the winners and losers in war. This article finds that whilst drones are game-changing, they cannot generate the effects to fuel advantageous strategic outcomes. Thus, policy-makers must approach military innovation from the position of advancing strategy towardss policy goals and not just adopting new technology for the sake of appearing innovative.
Amos C. Fox (Fri,) studied this question.