Weekly Roundup 3/30/20

Please note: this is the final Weekly Roundup for the time being. We want to thank you for sticking with us all these years. We will be following up shortly with more information about how to stay in touch and keep on top of the news in the world of …

Weekly Roundup 3/23/20

March 16, 2020 – March 22, 2020 Top Stories The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against two men for conspiring to smuggle contraband into prison with drones. Investigators said the two New Jersey men used drones to smuggle more than 160 cell phones, 150 SIM cards, 74 cell phone …

Weekly Roundup 3/16/20

March 9, 2020 – March 15, 2020 Public Safety Drones, 3rd Edition Since 2017 the Center for the Study of the Drone has been tracking the growing number of public safety agencies in the United States that own and operate drones. In the latest edition of the Public Safety Drones …

Weekly Roundup 3/10/20

March 2, 2020 – March 8, 2020 Please note: The Weekly Roundup will be discontinued on March 30 as the Center winds down its operations. If you are interested in receiving a continuation of this newsletter, please respond to the following brief survey before March 18: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/drone_newsletter “Unarmed and Dangerous: …

Weekly Roundup 3/2/20

February 24, 2020 – March 1, 2020 Top Stories A suspected Israeli drone strike in Syria reportedly killed one person. According to a report in Syrian state-run TV, the strike occurred near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The broadcast claimed that the individual killed was a civilian, while a U.K.-based Syrian …

Weekly Roundup 2/24/20

February 17, 2020 – February 24, 2020   Top Stories Japan has introduced new legislation designed to promote the development of drone technologies and 5G mobile networks by providing Japanese companies working in these fields with low-interest loans. The bill is widely viewed as a reaction to the growing dominance …

Weekly Roundup 2/17/20

February 10, 2020 – February 16, 2020 Top Stories The United Nations is set to test drones to combat a severe locust invasion in parts of east Africa. The drones would be used for detecting the swarms, spraying pesticides, and/or mapping affected areas. According to the U.N., the outbreak is …

Weekly Roundup 2/10/20

February 3, 2020 – February 9, 2020 Top Stories The U.S. confirmed that a drone strike in Yemen killed Qassim al-Rimi, the head of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. (The New York Times) The U.S. has indefinitely suspended a long-running program under which it shared intelligence collected by drones with …

Weekly Roundup 2/3/20

January 27, 2020 – February 2, 2020 Top Stories A U.S. airstrike in Yemen targeted Qassim al-Rimi, the head of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. According to The New York Times, U.S. drones began tracking al-Rimi after the CIA learned of his whereabouts in November. It is not yet confirmed …

Weekly Roundup 1/27/20

January 20, 2019 – January 26, 2020 At the Center At Foreign Policy, Center for the Study of the Drone co-director Arthur Holland Michel argues that the debate around lethal autonomous weapons systems should be expanded to consider certain forms of lethality-enabling AI. Top Stories Swiss Post announced that it …

Weekly Roundup 1/20/20

January 13, 2019 – January 19, 2020 Top Stories The U.S. Department of the Interior is reportedly planning to permanently suspend its drone program due to concerns that aircraft systems with parts made in China could be used for spying. According to the Financial Times, the move has sparked sharp …

Weekly Roundup 1/13/20

January 6, 2019 – January 12, 2020 At the Center At Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Center for the Study of the Drone Co-Director Dan Gettinger offers a summary of recent drone operations in Iraq. Top Stories An alleged drone strike in Afghanistan’s Herat province killed the leader of a …