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On Killing Remotely: The Psychology of Killing with Drones Hardcover – June 8, 2021
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"One of the best new Drones books" - BookAuthority
Throughout history society has determined specific rules of engagement between adversaries in armed conflict. With advances in technology, from armor to in the Middle Ages to nerve gas in World War I to weapons of mass destruction in our own time, the rules have constantly evolved. Today, when killing the enemy can seem palpably risk-free and tantamount to playing a violent video game, what constitutes warfare? What is the effect of remote combat on individual soldiers? And what are the unforeseen repercussions that could affect us all?
Lt Col Wayne Phelps, former commander of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft unit, addresses these questions and many others as he tells the story of the men and women of today's "chair force." Exploring the ethics of remote military engagement, the misconceptions about PTSD among RPA operators, and the specter of military weaponry controlled by robots, his book is an urgent and compelling reminder that it should always be difficult to kill another human being lest we risk losing what makes us human.
- Print length368 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
- Publication dateJune 8, 2021
- Dimensions6.4 x 1.5 x 9.55 inches
- ISBN-100316628298
- ISBN-13978-0316628297
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“An essential read…We have crossed a new frontier in the age-old story of war.”―P. W. Singer, author of Wired for War and Ghost Fleet
“The most impressive and comprehensive account of 21st-century remote air warfare…A mesmerizing read: I was gripped from the first page to the last.”―Professor Peter Lee, author of Reaper Force
“A crucial 360° look at how remote warfare affects the crews fighting from afar.”―Major Scott Swanson, USAF (retired)
“Phelps pulls back the curtain on the high-demand RPA force…An insightful look at a uniquely gifted community of warriors.”―Lt. General Robert F. Hedelund, USMC
“The psychology of RPA combat is as secretive as the airframes themselves—remote, mysterious, and hard to find… This book should be required reading for all warriors.”―Karen House, MA, MSW, LMSW, LPC
“Phelps brings a crucial voice of analytical nuance…Insightful and thought-provoking.”
―Ian MacLeod, former co-chair of the International Panel on the Regulation of Autonomous Weapons
“A seminal work in understanding the toll that killing remotely takes on the people who operate and support lethal remotely piloted aircraft.”―Major General James Poss, USAF (retired)
“An extraordinary achievement…Destined to become a classic.”―Mitt Regan, Georgetown University Law Center
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company (June 8, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316628298
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316628297
- Item Weight : 1.27 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.55 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #380,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #298 in Iraq War History (Books)
- #463 in Violence in Society (Books)
- #1,266 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Wayne Phelps is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. During his military career he deployed five times, including two deployments to Afghanistan and two deployments to Iraq. He was amongst the first conventional troops on the ground in Pakistan after 9/11. He also participated in the initial invasion into Iraq in 2003 and the troop surge into Afghanistan in 2010. He commanded units at every level from Platoon to Squadron, served as an instructor at the Marine Corps’ premier aviation training squadron and a staff officer in the Pentagon.
In 2014 he was selected to become an RPA pilot and he attended the Air Force’s Undergraduate Pilot Training becoming the first Marine honor graduate. His last assignment was as the Commanding Officer of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron Three (VMU-3) in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. As the Commanding Officer, he deployed four remotely piloted aircraft detachments to conduct counter-terrorism operations against violent extremist organizations.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the information in the book incredibly well presented and well-written. They also say it's a thoroughly researched look at Remotely Piloted.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the information in the book incredibly well presented and insightful. They also say the author does an excellent job charting the history and psychology of killing in war.
"This book is excellently well documented. It shows why there are many people who give up on this work which is crucial to national security...." Read more
"Lt. Col Phelps does an excellent job in charting the history and psychology of killing in war from ancient times until the present...." Read more
"...It is very well explained. It is also not for the faint of heart and can be hard to process. Thank you Lt. Col Phelps for your work on this." Read more
"I've never served but this book I found to be very engaging, well researched and thought out...." Read more
Customers find the book very well written and thought out.
"...but this book I found to be very engaging, well researched and thought out...." Read more
"...This book is a must read for both military professionals and anyone interested in getting past the headlines and understanding how drones have..." Read more
"...Thank you Col for such a well written story on the remote warrior!Marshall SmithAviation Unmanned Vehicle Museum" Read more
""On Killing Remotely" is a well-written and thoroughly researched look at Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAs) and their crews...." Read more
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Mel Koenig
Contract Consultant to Unmanned Systems Inc.
I would argue, however, that the author may have conflated two separate issues. One is the 24/7/365 shift-work nature of over-the-horizon UAV operations. Whether you are operating an armed or an unarmed UAV doesn't matter, it's a grinding, grueling schedule. As the author notes, a normal military unit goes through a distinct train-deploy-recover cycle. For a UAV crewmember, there IS no end to the deployment - just the few hours until the next shift. And give the insatiable appetite for ISR support, those hours are often too few.
The other issue is the remote strike aspect. Observe a hostile for hours, even days. Get the order to kill, carry it out...then go home and mow the lawn. It's like being a sniper, except that you commute to the job. And it carries a cost.
This book raises a lot of issues. High-end unmanned aviation is a very complex, highly stressful job. Throw in the added burden of strike operations, and it becomes clear that the men and women who do it deserve a lot more respect and credit than they get.
Top reviews from other countries
Wayne has deliberately taken a scholarly and evidence-based approach, working through the many issues that face RPAS crews and mission staff with care and diligence.
A lot of his findings really hit home for me. I remember joining the 15th Reconnaissance Squadron in May 2004, as a Sensor Operator flying MQ-1 Predator. We flew armed ISR missions over Iraq and Afghanistan with peaks of intense, highly kinetic missions (Fallujah being just one).
The pressure on the crews was intense, which - when combined with the chronic and cumulative fatigue of continuous shift work / live operations for multiple years - led to serious issues with morale, decision making and behaviours. You know the Remote / Split operations model is not working when you have young airmen and women volunteering to deploy to the launch and recovery element in Iraq, just to get themselves out of the grinder. The routine response when the leadership was asked to give the Squadron a "down day" was "your brothers in Iraq can't have a day off - neither can you." Some of our crews had already been on the front line of RPAS operations for 3 years when I joined, with no end in sight.
One point I think Wayne might have made more of is the preparation of RPAS operators to deal with taking lives. Those from the "teeth arms" (infantry, marines, fast jet aviators, warfighting sailors etc) are prepared all through their training to deal out death to our enemies. The emotional response from young airmen and women from supporting career fields (imagery analysts trained as sensor operators) was much more varied. One young lady in particular really struggled with pulling the trigger, and at the time was considered by her USAF leadership as someone with a 'lack of moral fibre' (to quote a WW1 term often used). Of course, when you sign on in the military you should be prepared to fight.
I don't think you can blame some of these young people however - they joined the military in a career field never expecting to be responsible for killing other humans.
Supporting the effect? Yes. Doing it themselves? No.
The psychological and emotional effects of that level of unpreparedness ran deep, I suspect.
This a great book, and one I heartily recommend for anyone interested or engaged in RPAS operations, or indeed interested in the human condition when under pressure.
UK Army RPAS Instructor






