‘OK, fine. Shoot him.’ Four words that heralded a decade of secret US drone killings

                           For more on the effects of drone technology please go to    http://www.inlnews.com/EffectsOfDroneTechnology.php

Predator drones increasingly a museum piece thanks to more lethal models (Justinpickard/ Flickr)

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), colloquially known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by computers in the vehicle or under the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle.b There are a wide variety of UAV shapes, sizes, configurations, and characteristics. Historically, UAVs were simple remotely piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being employed.They are deployed predominantly for military and special operation applications, but also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as policing and firefighting, and nonmilitary security work, such as surveillance of pipelines. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too "dull, dirty, and dangerous" for manned aircraft.

NPR Audio BY CATEGORY Top Stories  Politics  World  Business  Sports 
 Technology  Health & Science  Arts  U.S. 

VIEW LOCAL VIDEO KVUE-TV Austin  WJZ 13 Baltimore  WBZ Boston 
 WCNC Charlotte  CBS 2 Chicago

CBS 11 Dallas  CBS4 Denver  13 News, WVEC Hampton Roads  11 News Houston  
CBS 2 / KCAL 9 Los Angeles

WHAS TV11 Louisville  CBS4 Miami  WCCO Minneapolis  WWL-TV, 
Channel 4 New Orleans  CBS 2 New York

CBS 3 Philadelphia KTVK 3TV Phoenix  KDKA Pittsburgh  
KGW NewsChannel 8 Portland, Ore.  WRAL.com Raleigh

CBS 13 / CW 31 Sacramento  KENS 5 - TV San Antonio  Channel 8 San Diego 
 CBS 5 San Francisco

KING5 Seattle  KREM.com Spokane/Coeur d'Alene  KMOV 
Channel 4 St. Louis  FOX 11 Tucson

Video by Category
 U.S. Business  World  Entertainment  Sports  Tech  Politics Science 
Health Environment Weather Opinion  Odd 

Video by Topic Campaign '08   Wall Street  Iraq  Gas Prices  Mideast Conflict 
 Climate Change 

More INL News Video !Finance Sports

Video by Category
 U.S. Business  World  Entertainment  Sports  Tech  Politics Science 
Health Environment Weather Opinion  Odd 

Video by Topic Campaign '08   Wall Street  Iraq  Gas Prices  Mideast Conflict 
 Climate Change 

More INL News Video !Finance Sports

The Strategic Core of Lethal Drones

A Framework for discussion

Joshua Foust and Ashley S. Boyle

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102744195/The-Strategic-Context-of-Lethal-Drones

 August 16 , 2012

Introduction

The use of drones to conduct lethal strikes to disrupt and defeat terrorist groups worldwide has been at the centerole of a growing national debate. The U.S. government has used lethal drone strikes since the passage of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force,

but recently their use has expanded at an unprecedented rate – underscoring the importance o understanding drones as tools in a larger framework. to date, the national discussion about drone programs has focused on how targets are selected,

the morality of signature strikes,  the Presidential use of power, and the identity of “victims.”

However, this discussion does not always rely on established facts about current drone operations, including how drones function as weapons platforms, their overall role within US counterterrorism strategy, and the empirical data that currently exist about the effects of their use as lethal force. This paper will objectively examine US lethal drone policy as it is currently implemented while contextualizing it in terms of national security and the global struggle against violent extremism. In the interest of objectivity, this paper will not directly address the moral and political arguments about the proper use of targeted killings. We are not evaluating the moral value of targeted killings or drones; the ways these tactics do or do not t into US law; or whether it is “right” for a President to singularly control a targeted killing program. Similarly, while the technical (and industry-preferred term) for

these aircraft is “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” we have chosen to use the colloquial term “drone” in the interest of readability. This paper is not intended to be polemic for or against drones; rather, we are interested in the way in which drones are employed as viewed from a US national security strategy perspective.

Basic Data about drones

Program Descriptions 

 The Obama Administration has not officially stated where and how it employs lethal drone strikes. While the President has officially acknowledged that covert strikes do occur in places such as Yemen and Somalia,

6 There are no specifics about the extent of the programs and precise deployment o drones or lethal strikes. Drones are employed differently depending on the target environment. In a declared combat zone, such as Afghanistan,

7 there are clearly defined rules of engagement and chains of command for the execution o lethal drone strikes.

8 Outside of declared combat zones, however, there are new data about how drone strikes are decided and conducted, apart from anonymous leaks by US officials. In Yemen, for example, there are indications that the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command operate individual “kill lists,” and each commands a separate drone feet.

9 In Pakistan, drone strikes are an open secret acknowledged even by the President,

10 but the precise rules governing their use remain murky.

11 This official secrecy, coupled with leaks about the nature of drone programs, makes drawing conclusions about their overall use and effectiveness extremely difficult.

International Law 

 Criticisms of US drone programs frequently center on questions of legality. Despite claiming the strikes are legally permissible, Administration officials have not yet directly cited any law in justifying the use of drones in extraterritorial targeted killings.

12 Critics argue that this failure to provide legal justification implicates the US in violating international legal frameworks on interstate force and national sovereignty.

13 Furthermore, critics claim that US drone programs in Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen set a dangerous precedent that could lead to any nation with strike-capable drones employing similar tactics in a “global drone war.”

14 While laws governing the use of interstate force bar the use of force in another nation’s territory during times o peace, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, a state has “the inherent right of individual or collective self -defence [sic]” until the UN Security Council takes action.

15. The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has been alarmed that Article 51 applies is either  the targeted state agrees to the use of force in its territory by another nation, or  the targeted state or a group operating within its territory, was responsible or an act o aggression against the targeting state.

16 Only one of these conditions must be satisfied to justify a unilateral extraterritorial use o force by a UN Member. In the cases o Pakistan,

17 Somalia,

18 and Yemen,

19 both conditions are satisfied: all three countries have consented, explicitly or otherwise, to the US operating drones within their territories, and all three are “safe havens” or groups that have launched violent attacks against the US and US interests. Therefore, while the US does not explicitly invoke Article 51, it is operating within its bounds under the international framework established by the UN – making any legal argument against drone programs challenging. In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, the US was already engaged in combat operations. The legal questions regarding the use of lethal drones do not apply to these conflicts.

Cost Analysis 

 Some critics have argued that drones are actually more expensive to purchase and operate than piloted aircraft,

20 because they require extensive ground crews, are maintenance-intensive, and prone to frequent “mishaps,” official parlance for “crashes.” However, an analysis o acquisition and operating costs does not bear out such an argument. From a high-level examination, drones are slightly more cost effective to acquire and operate than conventional manned aircraft. So the real question of cost effectiveness should instead be one of operational advantage: whether the strategic advantage and human protection afforded by the use of drones in overseas operations outweighs the potential security threat posed by higher crash rates and growing backlash in target environments. In table 1, below, we compare basic unit acquisition and operating costs compiled from unclassified Department of Defense Selected Acquisition Reports.

21 We have included as much information can reasonably be bound through public sources; the data are not identical for all weapons platforms, however. The F-15, for example, is no longer manufactured so its acquisition cost is not relevant in comparisons, but is included here or valuations of mishaps. For new platforms like the MQ-9 Reaper, the cost data include everything from personnel-related costs, fuel, training munitions, temporary duty costs, sustaining engineering and program management, system specific training, and “indirect support” (which is not defined but may include basing).

Understanding drones in a broader context.

ASP’s Perspective on Drones

In at least some places, at some times, the drones policy has sparked public backlash in Pakistan and Yemen. At the same time, researchers who travel there have claimed that drones do not create public anger or sympathy for terrorist movements in either country.

ASP seeks to understand how local publics relate and react to the drones, as this issue is critical to understanding the strategic implications of a policy of lethal targeting with drones.

Similarly, there is not good public information about how many drones strikes have taken place, how many people have been killed or wounded by them, and what social and political consequences have resulted. Many public studies contradict each other or present data and conclusions that are impossible to reconcile. Because the data about drones are so inconclusive, the need for public dialog and understanding is greater than ever.

Dedicated to raising awareness of and forging a bipartisan consensus on national security challenges, ASP is committed to fostering an informed dialogue about drones and US drone policy that ensures the judicious use of these weapons in a manner that minimizes long-term consequences yet still realizes US CT objectives.

The American Security Project is dedicated to educating the public about U.S. Foreign Policy and policy choices. We are establishing a baseline for what information is publicly available to understand the use of lethal drones and the effects they have had.

Our first paper explores the strategic context of drones in US counterterrorism strategy and is accompanied by a fact sheet that provides basic information about existing technology and programs.  Our Drones Annotated Bibliography is the first project designed to inform the public about currently available research on drones and their effects.

 

More on ASP’s Drones and US Drone Policy work:

Paper: The Strategic Context of Lethal Drones

Fact Sheet: Contextualizing the Drones Debate

Drone Resources and Annotated Bibliography

Criteria for ASP’s Drone Resource Library

Event Review – U.S. Drones Policy: Strategic Frameworks and Measuring Effects

Other Writing by ASP Fellows About Drones:

Joshua Foust, “U.S. Drones Make Peace with Pakistan Less Likely,” The Atlantic, 12 July 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/us-drones-make-peace-with-pakistan-less-likely/259756/

Joshua Foust, “What We Misunderstand About Drones,” The Atlantic, 8 June 2012, http://americansecurityproject.org/featured-items/2012/joshua-foust-what-we-misunderstand-about-drones/

Joshua Foust, “American Drones Will Not Save Yemen,” The Atlantic, 13 May 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/05/american-drones-will-not-save-yemen/257086/

Joshua Foust, “How Strong Is al Qaeda Today, Really?” The Atlantic, 2 May 2012, http://americansecurityproject.org/featured-items/2012/joshua-foust-how-strong-is-al-qaeda-today-really/

Joshua Foust, “The Political Consequences of a Drones-First Policy,” The Atlantic, 30 January 2012, http://americansecurityproject.org/news/2012/the-atlantic-joshua-foust-the-political-consequences-of-a-drones-first-policy/

Joshua Foust, “More Than Just Drones: The Moral Dilemma of Covert Warfare,” The Atlantic, 23 January 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/more-than-just-drones-the-moral-dilemma-of-covert-warfare/251827/

Joshua Foust, “Unaccountable Killing Machines: The True Cost of U.S. Drones,” The Atlantic, 30 December 2011, http://americansecurityproject.org/blog/2011/the-atlantic-joshua-foust-unaccountable-killing-machines-the-true-cost-of-u-s-drones/

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102744195/The-Strategic-Context-of-Lethal-Drones

Te Strategic Contextof Lethal Drones

A framework for discussion

Joshua Foust and Ashley S. Boyle

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102744195/The-Strategic-Context-of-Lethal-Drones

 

 August 16 , 2012

Introduction

The use of drones to conduct lethal strikes to disrupt and defeat terrorist groups worldwide has been at the centerole of a growing national debate. The U.S. government has used lethal drone strikes since the passage of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force,

but recently their use has expanded at an unprecedented rate – underscoring the importance o understanding drones as tools in a larger framework. to date, the national discussion about drone programs has focused on how targets are selected,

the morality of signature strikes,  the Presidential use of power, and the identity of “victims.”

 

However, this discussion does not always rely on established facts about current drone operations, including how drones function as weapons platforms, their overall role within US counterterrorism strategy, and the empirical data that currently exist about the effects of their use as lethal force. This paper will objectively examine US lethal drone policy as it is currently implemented while contextualizing it in terms of national security and the global struggle against violent extremism. In the interest of objectivity, this paper will not directly address the moral and political arguments about the proper use of targeted killings. We are not evaluating the moral value o targeted killings or drones; the ways these tactics do or do not t into US law; or whether it is “right” for a President to singularly control a targeted killing program. Similarly, while the technical (and industry-preferred term) for

these aircrat is “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles,” we have chosen to use the colloquial term “drone” in the interesto readability.Tis paper is not intended to be polemic or or against drones; rather, we are interested in the way in whichdrones are employed as viewed rom a US national security strategy perspective.

Basic Data about drones

Program Descriptions 

 Te Obama Administration has not ocially stated where and how it employs lethal drone strikes. While thePresident has ocially acknowledged that covert strikes do occur in places such as Yemen and Somalia,

6

thereare no specics about the extent o the programs and precise deployment o drones or lethal strikes.Drones are employed dierently depending on the target environment.In a declared combat zone, such as Aghanistan,

7

there are clearly dened rules o engagement and chains o command or theexecution o lethal drone strikes.

8

Outsideo declared combat zones, however, there areew data about how drone strikes are decidedand conducted, apart rom anonymous leaksby US ocials.In Yemen, or example, there are indicationsthat the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Special Operations Command operateindividual “kill lists,” and each commandsa separate drone feet.

9

In Pakistan, dronestrikes are an open secret acknowledgedeven by the President,

10

but the precise rulesgoverning their use remain murky.

11

Tis ocial secrecy, coupled with leaks about the nature o drone programs, makes drawing conclusions abouttheir overall use and eectiveness extremely dicult.

International Law 

 Criticisms o US drone programs requently center on questions o legality. Despite claiming the strikes arelegally permissible, Administration ocials have not yet directly cited any law in justiying the use o dronesin extraterritorial targeted killings.

12

 Critics argue that this ailure to provide legal justication implicates the US in violating international legalrameworks on interstate orce and national sovereignty.

13

Furthermore, critics claim that US drone programsin Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen set a dangerous precedent that could lead to any nation with strike-capabledrones employing similar tactics in a “global drone war.”

14

 While laws governing the use o interstate orce bar the use o orce in another nation’s territory during times o peace, under Article 51 o the United Nations Charter, a state has “the inherent right o individual or collectivesel-deence [sic]” until the UN Security Council takes action.

15

 

 

3

Te UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has armed that Article 51 applies i 

either 

the targeted state agrees to the use o orce in its territory by another nation,

or 

the targeted state or a group operating within its territory, was responsible or an act o aggressionagainst the targeting state.

16

Only one o these conditions must be satised to justiy a unilateral extraterritorial use o orce by a UN Member. In the cases o Pakistan,

17

Somalia,

18

and Yemen,

19

both conditions are satised:all three countries have consented, explicitly or otherwise, to the US operating drones within theirterritories, and all three are “sae havens” or groups that have launched violent attacks against the USand US interests.Tereore, while the US does not explicitly invoke Article 51, it is operating within itsbounds under the international ramework established by the UN – making any legal argument against drone programschallenging.In Aghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, the US wasalready engaged in combat operations. Telegal questions regarding the use o lethaldrones do not apply to these conficts.

Cost Analysis 

 Some critics have argued that drones are actually more expensive to purchase and operate than pilotedaircrat,

20

because they require extensive ground crews, are maintenance-intensive, and prone torequent “mishaps,” ocial parlance or “crashes.” However, an analysis o acquisition and operating costs does not bear out such an argument.From a high-level examination, drones are slightly more cost eective to acquire and operate thanconventional manned aircrat. So the real question o cost eectiveness should instead be one o operational advantage: whether the strategic advantage and human protection aorded by the use o drones in overseas operations outweighs the potential security threat posed by higher crash rates andgrowing backlash in target environments.In able 1, below, we compare basic unit acquisition and operating costs compiled rom unclassiedDepartment o Deense Selected Acquisition Reports.

21

  We have included as much inormation can reasonably be ound through public sources; the data arenot identical or all weapons platorms, however.Te F-15, or example, is no longer manuactured so its acquisition cost is not relevant in comparisons,but is included here or valuations o mishaps.For new platorms like the MQ-9 Reaper, the cost data include everything rom personnel-related costs, uel, training munitions, temporary duty costs, sustaining engineering and programmanagement, system specic training, and “indirect support” (which is not dened but may includebasing).

 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102775947/Contextualizing-the-Drones-Debate

 

 

 

http://americansecurityproject.org/issues/asymmetric-operations/the-strategic-effects-of-a-lethal-drones-policy/drone-information-sources-annotated-bibliography/

 

References (Updated, October 4, 2012)

107th Congress. (2001, September 18). “Public Law 107-40: Authorization for Use of Military Force.” United States Congress. [Online]. Available: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ40/pdf/PLAW-107publ40.pdf

Assessment: Essential document providing for the use of military force and by extension, the use of drones, against terrorism and terrorist organizations.

 

112th Congress. (2012, January 5). “H.R. 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.” United States Congress.  [Online]. Available:   http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.1540: :

This document authorizes defense expenditures for FY2012, which includes increased funding for the expansion of US drone programs. The budget for any covert program is classified and therefore not included. Assessment: Provides sup-porting evidence of the US’ increasing use of drones, but lacks details that would likely be significant to most research on drone use overseas.

 

S. Abbott. (2012, February 26). “AP IMPACT: New light on drone war’s death toll.” Associated Press. [Online]. Available:http://news.yahoo.com/ap-impact-light-drone-wars-death-toll-150321926.html

This article explores the result of AP’s on-the-ground investigation of claims that US drone strikes are killing more civilians than militants in Pakistan. The study results in findings that differ significantly from those provided by Pakistani intelligence and other reports on the strikes. Assessment: This piece illustrates the discrepancies that can exist between media and official accounts of UAV strikes and highlights the importance of understanding how particular data were obtained. It should serve to educate that all reports containing strike data need to be critically analyzed as the data and the manner by which they were obtained can influence the results of any report.

 

S. Ackerman. (2011, October 20). “Libya: The Real U.S. Drone War.” Danger Room Blog, Wired.   [Online].  Available:  http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/10/predator-libya/

Ackerman provides a detailed look at how drones have been used in the NATO combat theater in Libya. The use of drones in support of NATO’s war again Muammar Qaddafi is the most intensive to date, with 145 strikes being executed between April 21, 2011 and October 20, 2011. This report also highlights the fact that there is no known date for such equipment to exit Libya. Assessment: Ackerman’s report pro-vides insight into one of the publicly disclosed drone programs operated by the US and is useful from this standpoint. It also details an increasing reliance on drones to carry out military operations in combat zones. Facts are presented as such, with little interpretation or bias.

S. Ackerman and N. Shachtman. (2012, January 9). “Almost 1 in 3 U.S. Warplanes Is a Robot.” Danger Room Blog, Wired. [Online].  Available:  http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/drone-report/

A report on the military’s growing arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles indicates that approximately 31% of all US military aircraft are now drones. Assessment: Coming from the reliable, credible Danger Room blog, this piece is narrow in scope and brief in detail, but corroborates other arguments that the US’ use of drones in military operations is expanding at an unprecedented rate.

P. Alston, “The CIA and Targeted Killings Beyond Borders,” New York University School of Law: Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper Series, no. Working Paper No. 11-64, September 2011. http://harvardnsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Vol.-2_Alston1.pdf

Philip Alston, the former Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions for the UN, examines the accountability of the CIA under applicable international legal frameworks in relation to its covert targeted killings. Alston argues that despite US officials’ arguments to the contrary, effective control and accountability mechanisms have not been established to govern these programs, giving the CIA a “free pass” in these operations. The result is a dangerous international legal precedent that could turn on the US if other nations adopt implement practices. Assessment: This paper is expansive at 118 pages, but provides an excellent exploration of the CIA’s programs and moreso, the nuances of applicable international legal frameworks. The paper advances a very clear argument that the US must provide justification and be transparent regarding its targeted killing programs out of concern for potential recursiveness of these practices. While the factual material is excellent, the interpretation – particularly of legal statutes – should be understood to have a bias.

M. Arria.  (2012, June 6).  “How the West Was Droned: The Curious Rise of General Atomics.” Motherboard Blog, Vice.  [Online].  Available: http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/5/31/how-the-west-was-droned-the-curious-rise-of-general-atomics-part-i

Michael Arria, a blogger for Vice’s tech- and culture-oriented Motherboard blog, traces the origins of General Atomics Aeronautics Systems (GAAS). GAAS is among the leading manufacturers of drones, specifically producing the MQ-1 Predator drone in widespread use throughout Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. Arria examines the growth of GAAS in the larger context of the US drone industry and discusses the political mechanisms driving drone manufacturing and pro-grams. Assessment: Informative background piece on the development of drone technology, producers, and a US-based drones industry. Well-sourced and fairly even-handed in its treatment of factual material.

Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. (2012). “AUVSI.” Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. [Online]. Available:  http://www.auvsi.org/Home/

Link to the website of the largest international lobbying organization for the use of unmanned aerial systems.

J. M. Beard, “Law and War in the Virtual Era,” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 103, no. 3, pp. 409-445, July 2009. http://www.asil.org/ajil/July2009_1selectedpiece.pdf

Beard’s paper examines the rise of technology and its impact on military capabilities. In particular, the paper studies virtual military technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, and how “virtual distance” is changing warfare while simultaneously influencing operations and military culture. Finally, Beard asserts that virtual military technologies are “revitalizing” jus in bello principles, including the importance of shielding civilians from conflict. Assessment: Beard’s pa-per is both interesting and informative in its subject and approach. It is one of the more thorough examinations of the effects of technology on military capabilities, operations, and culture. Because it addresses the use of virtual technologies, it is an important read for understanding the impacts had by these technologies on the side using them.

J. Becker and S. Shane. (2012, May 29). “Secret ‘Kill List’ Proves a Test of Obama’s Principles and Will.” The New York Times. [Online]. Available:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html? r=2&pagewanted=1&pagewanted=all#p[]

This article provides insight into the processes behind the determination of US lethal drone strikes. In a weekly Tuesday meeting with his top advisers, President Obama reviews the list of ”nominations” designated suspected terrorists for capture or kill. The President personally approves every target and strike. Assessment: This article is an essential document as it is one of the most detailed accounts of the processes at the foundation of lethal drone strikes. It provides an overview of the decision-making process and the key figures in the Obama Administration who oversee it. It should be noted that this piece has also been the source of some controversy in the ongoing investigation into a number of high-level leaks from the Administration.

P. Bergen and J. Rowland. (2012, June 12). “Obama ramps up covert war in Yemen.” CNN. [Online]. Available:http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/11/opinion/bergen-yemen-drone-war/index.html

This article provides coverage of the Obama Administration’s widening counterterrorism strategy in Yemen. Facilitated by the use of UAVs, broadening counterterrorism efforts in Yemen have seen the inaugural use of ”signature strikes,” or the targeting of individuals whose behavioral patterns indicate the presence of a suspected militant. Assessment: This brief piece provides essential information on the US’ counterterrorism efforts in Yemen to date. Providing key dates, facts, and strike information, Bergen and Rowland present a relatively unbiased account of operations in Yemen and the possible effects to be had from them.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. (2012). “Covert War on Terror.” The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. [Online]. Available:http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/

This link provides access to some of the most extensive drone strike statistics available, including dates, locations, deaths, and related details. Specifically, TBIJ provides information on Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, with various data representations and visualizations available on a number of statistics, as well as direct links to primary sources. Assessment: The amount of data available from this link makes it an essential source for drone research. Data is provided with a subtle anti-drone interpretation. Primary sources consulted for this dataset are reputable and credible; Wikileaks is occasionally sourced for Somalia data. See also: Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative, New America Foundation, “The Year of the Drone.”

S. Carvin.  (2012, 22 August). “The Trouble with Targeted Killings.”  Security Studies, vol. 21: no. 3, pp. 529-555, 2012.  http://cips.uottawa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/SCarvin_The-Trouble-with-Targeted-Killing_2012.pdf

Carvin’s paper examines the effectiveness of targeted killing as a tool in counterterrorism operations and strategy.  Arguing that while many studies have presented clear arguments for or against the use of targeted killing, none have provided an actual foundation from which a pronouncement on their effectiveness can be made.  The author concludes that it would be more productive for policymakers and analysts to collect more and better empirical data on the effects of targeted killing to “advance decision making.” Assessment: This paper is useful in that it illustrates many of the problems presented by a lack of data on second- and third-level consequences of targeted killings, some of which are accomplished by the US with the use of drones.

Center For Civilians in Conflict, Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic. (2012). “The Civilian Impact of Drones: Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions.” [Online].   Available: http://www.law.columbia.edu/human-rights-institute/initiatives/counterterrorism/targetedkilling/unexaminedcosts

The report seeks to analyze the effects of U.S. drone strikes affect civilians in the conflict areas. The report looks at two areas, secrecy and the limits of drone use. The report comes to the conclusion that the current use of drone strikes produces too little information to accurately determine their effectiveness. It also finds that because of the secrecy associated, there are implication is holding the strikes accountable. They also find that the use of drones outside of full-scale military operations could undermine U.S. commitment to protecting civilians. Assessment: The report’s recommendations are preceded by the acknowledgment that more information is necessary to flush out those given. However, the factual data represented is based upon a narrow and unreliable methodology. There is little in the report that changes current perceptions of the campaign, but the study remains interesting in that it looks to the effects of collateral damage.

Counterterrorism Strategy Initiative. (2012, June 1).  “The Year of the Drone.”   New America Foundation.   [Online].   Available:http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones

Link provides access to an extensive dataset on drone strikes in Pakistan from 2004 to date. Data includes low-to-high death estimates, militant/militant leader deaths, strikes by target, and links to primary sources. The highlight of this dataset is the interactive Google map on which all known strikes are pinned with relevant data provided for each point. Assessment: A very useful and thorough dataset on Pakistan drone strikes. Data is presented in an unbiased manner, reflected in the range of estimates provided, and is built on reputable and credible primary sources. See also: The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, “Covert War on Terror.”

K. Dozier. (2012, June 13). “Survey: U.S. drone programs unpopular overseas.” Associated Press in The Washington Times. [Online]. Available:  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jun/13/survey-us-drone-program-unpopular-overseas/

Kimberly Dozier, an intelligence correspondent for the Associated Press, reports on a recent Pew Research report that indicates a significant majority overseas disapprove of US drone programs. Over half of the population samples in 17 of 21 countries disapproved of the programs; the US proves an exception with approximately 62% of the population approving of the use of drones. Assessment: Primarily an announcement of Pew Research’s survey results, this piece provides little interpretation of the results. Includes a modicum of background on drone strikes, including recent remarks by President Obama. For best data, consulting the Pew Research survey directly is advisable. See also: Pew Research, “Global Opinion of Obama Slips.”

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (2012).  “Aircraft Platforms.” General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. [Online]. Available:  http://www.ga-asi.com/products/aircraft/index.php

Link provides access to information on all GAAS vehicles.

L. Hajjar, “International Humanitarian Law and “Wars on Terror: A Comparative Analysis of Israeli and American Doctrines and Policies,” Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 21-42, 2006.

Hajjar’s paper offers a comparative examination of how Israeli and US policies in their wars on terror decant from traditional norms and international humanitarian law (IHL). Using the second intifada and the current US war on terror as examples, Hajjar argues that neither country actually ignores IHL. Rather, each country seeks to reinterpret IHL in such a manner that it may continue to pursue its political agenda by its preferred means.  Assessment: Paper is very specific to IHL, but broad in regards to policies. It is most useful in understanding IHL in relation to any policy that may endorse targeted killings, but is difficult to relate directly to US drone programs.

L. Hudson, C. Owens, M. Flannes. (2012,  June 1). “Drone Warfare: Blowback from the New American Way of War.”  Middle East Policy Council. [Online].  Available:  http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/drone-warfare-blowback-new-american-way-war

Hudson et al. argue that expanding counterterrorism efforts has increased violence and instability in targeted areas. The pa-per provides background on US drone strikes, estimates of a High Value Target-to-Total Deaths ratio, and acts of terrorism that may be retaliatory for drone strikes in Pakistan. Assessment: While acknowledging that direct causality between drone strikes and recent terrorist acts is difficult to establish irrefutably, Hudson et al. seek to establish a body of knowledge on the effects of drone strikes. This source is valuable in that it attempts to devise a means of evaluating the cost/benefit tradeoff of the US continuing its drone strikes in Pakistan.

International Human Rights And Conflict Resolution Clinic (Stanford Law School) And Global  Justice Clinic (NYU School Of Law). (September, 2012). “Living Under Drones: Death, Injury, And Trauma To Civilians  From Us Drone Practices In Pakistan.” [Online]. Available: http://livingunderdrones.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Stanford_NYU_LIVING_UNDER_DRONES.pdf

The report seeks to address the second and third order effects of drone strikes. It concludes that the U.S. drone campaign is producing counter-productive results, failing to keep civilians safe, and having an adverse effect on perceptions of America. The methodology relies on interviews and media reports. It states that the consequences of the use of drones should lead the US to reevaluate its current policy of target killings. Assessment: The report’s methodology is founded on unreliable news sources and inherently biased interviews. Analysis of second and third-order effects of drone use is important, however the biased and flawed methodology used calls into question many of the report’s findings.

D. A. Jaeger and Z. Siddique, “Are Drone Strikes Effective in Afghanistan and Pakistan? On the Dynamics of Violence between the United States and the Taliban,” Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), IZA Discussion Papers 6262, Dec. 2011. [Online]. Available:http://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp6262.html

Jaeger and Siddique’s paper looks at drone strikes in relation to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan from January 2007 to December 2010.   The authors note that strikes did not appear to impact terrorist violence in Afghanistan but are effective in Pakistan.  Unsuccessful drone strikes are noted to have deleterious impacts in Pakistan.  Assessment:  An essential document for examining the differences in impact had by drones depending on the location of the strike.  Also provides strong data and a means of evaluating impact.

P. B. Johnston and A. Sarbahi, “The Impact of Drone Strikes on Terrorism in Pakistan,” February 25, 2012. Working Paper, RAND Corporation.

This paper looks at UAV strikes in the FATA region of Pakistan between 2004 and 2010. The authors, from RAND Corporation and Stanford University, find that an increase in the number of strikes correlates with a decrease in frequency and intensity of militant violence. Assessment: The authors provide a detailed statistical analysis of strike data, and then disaggregate this analysis according to individual areas within the FATA. This paper is most useful in examining methods of measuring efficacy of strikes and their effects in a given area.

J. Masters. (2012, April 30). “Targeted Killings.” Council on Foreign Relations. [Online]. Available:  http://www.cfr.org/counterterrorism/targeted-killings/p9627

Designed as a backgrounder on the issue of targeted killings, Masters’ study on targeted killings examines the politics, means, methods, and legality behind the practice. The piece also raises pertinent questions about the future of targeted killings as a part of US doctrine. Assessment: An essential document for understanding current US targeted killing policies and practices. Provides relevant facts and is even-handed in treatment of materials.

T. McKelvey. (2011, May). “Covering Obama’s Secret War.” Columbia Journalism Review. [Online]. Available: http://www.cjr.org/feature/covering_obamas_secret_war.php?page=all

This article highlights the diffculties journalists face in covering UAV strikes for the media due to official secrecy, conflicting information, and a general lack of clarity on the issue. Provides some details on actual media coverage of strikes. Assessment: Informative piece that is useful for understanding the how the media attempts to accurately cover stories of UAV strikes.

National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. (2012).  “Data Collections.” University of Maryland National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. [Online].  Available:   http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data_collections/

START’s Data Collections provides access to a broad range of data on terrorism incidents, at-risk populations, profiles of perpetrators of terrorist acts, public opinion, and related data. Assessment: This data collection is immense; researchers should know exactly what they are seeking in consulting the collection. There is a significant barrier to over-come in that many datasets are presented in non-standard formats or require specialized programs; however, some datasets are available to search in real-time online. If re-searchers know exactly what data they are seeking, and either have the specific program required for downloads, or the patience to conduct online searching of databases, START’s data is an excellent source.

Northrop Grumman. (2012). “Unmanned Systems.” Northrop Grumman. [Online]. Available: http://www.as.northropgrumman.com/by_capability/unmannedsystems/index.html

Link provides access to information on all Northrop Grumman vehicles.

L. A. Olney, “Lethal Targeting Abroad: Exploring Long-Term Efectiveness of Armed Drone Strikes in Overseas Contingency Operations,” Thesis for Master of Arts in Security Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University, April 2011.

This paper examines whether US lethal UAV strikes are effective in overseas contingency operations and explores the hypothesis that drone strikes contribute to increasing militancy in local populations. The thesis uses two case studies to analyze these questions: Yemen, between January 2001 through September 2010; and northwest Pakistan from January 2004 through September 2010. Assessment: This paper is among the few that posits a methodology for analyzing the effectiveness of drone strikes and for this reason, should be considered essential reading. It should be noted, however, that as this source was submitted as a Masters thesis, it has not been vetted in the same manner as other resources included in this collection.

Hon. M. Olsen. (2012, Sept 19^th) “Hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs The Homeland Threat Landscape and U.S. Response.” [Online].   Available:

http://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/Olsen%209-19%202012%20SFR.pdf

Olsen’s testimony before Congress  details the National Counter Terrorism Center’s (NCTC) efforts to fight terrorism and the effects on various groups. Olsen also describes the current threat of terrorism across the globe including that posed by AQIM, AQI, Boko Haram, Hezbollah,  and domestic terrorists.  The testimony concludes with Olsen assessing operations and progress made by the NCTC. Assessment: The testimony provides good look into government perceptions of terrorism and its efforts to combat it. There are no specific comments about drones but the testimonry does highlight advancements and areas of concern for the NCTC.

Pew Research.  (2012, June 13). “Global Opinion of Obama Slips.”   Pew Research. [Online].  Available:http://www.pewglobal.org/2012/06/13/global-opinion-of-obama-slips-international-policies-faulted/

This survey, conducted by the leading “fact tank” Pew Research, provides detailed data from approximately 20 countries on opinion of US drone programs, foreign policy, and US culture. Assessment: Survey is useful for its hard data on global public opinions. Scope and utility is limited as survey only samples populations in approximately 20 countries, none of which are targeted by US drones.

A. B. Prados and J. M. Sharp, “Yemen: Current Conditions and US Relations,” Congressional Research Service, no. RS21808, January 4, 2007.

This paper examines Yemen’s domestic conditions, foreign relations, and its cooperative stance with the US’ counterterrorism strategies. The report is intended to provide background information on the country for the purpose of policymaking. Assessment: Though now several years out-of-date, this report is useful for evaluating developments in the US-Yemen relationship and how it has influenced shared counterterrorism efforts.

 

S. Raghavan. (2012, May 29) “In Yemen, US airstrikes breed anger, and sympathy for al-Qaeda.” The Washington Post. [Online]. Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-yemen-us-airstrikes-breed-anger-and-sympathy-for-al-qaeda/2012/05/29/gJQAUmKI0U_story.html

Article examines a growing backlash against the US and its counterterrorism strategy in Yemen, predicated upon lethal UAV strikes. Based upon 20 interviews with tribal leaders, “victims’ relatives,” human rights activists, and officials, the author finds evidence that lethal strikes are contributing to the radicalization of the Yemeni population. Assessment: A very informative piece providing insight to some of the effects of drone strikes in Yemen. The interviews appear to have been conducted in an unbiased manner, and the information is presented factually. A solid background piece on the expansion of UAV programs in Yemen.

 

Raytheon. (2012). “Radar Capabilities – Air.”  Raytheon. [Online]. Available:http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/radar/air/index.html

Link provides access to information on Raytheon air and radar capabilities.

 

T. Reinold, “State Weakness, Irregular Warfare, and the Right to Self-Defense Post 9/11,” The American Journal of International Law, vol. 105, no. 2, pp. 244-286, April 2011.

Reinold’s paper examines two different “safe haven” scenarios: states that are unable, and states that are unwilling to assert control over their territorial entirety. The author then evaluates these scenarios in the context of jus ad bellum and the rights of states to self-defense against irregular force in the post 9/11 security environment. Assessment: An in-formative piece examining the development of the concept of safe havens and accompanying legal justifications for self-defense. Provides a thorough examination of how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 have shaped our understanding of safe havens as well as the legal concerns generated by them. The paper stays apolitical, and is even-handed in its interpretation of material.

 

B. Roggio and A. Mayer. (2012, July 29). “Charting the data for US airstrikes in Pakistan, 2004-2012.” The Long War Journal. [Online]. Available:http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php

Link to seven graphical presentations of strike data in Pakistan from 2004 onwards. Assessment: This compilation is useful as a brief, top-line visualization of US strikes in Pakistan. It is frequently updated and mentions the media sources from which it collects data, but does not provide direct links to these sources. The Long War Journal aims to provide unbiased and accurate coverage of the global war on terror, and presents these data in a straightforward manner.

 

D. Rohde. (2012, April 1). “The Obama Doctrine.” Foreign Policy. [Online]. Available:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/27/the_obama_doctrine

When President Obama assumed office in 2009, he advocated a transparent, multilateral approach toward US counterterrorism strategy. Noted correspondent David Rohde examines how, a few years later, the Obama Administration has expanded US covert drone programs on an unprecedented scale. Rohde examines the Administration’s intent to distinguish its war on terror from that of former President Bush, the policy and methods behind targeted killings, and explores the growing backlash in target populations. Assessment: Article is useful in framing the development of US drone programs under the Obama Administration as well as the emerging dialogue about their utility and effects. Provides a broad survey of several important aspects of the use of targeted killings, including insight into the methodology of determining and executing strikes.

 

J. Rowland and P. Bergen. (2012, June 1).  “Obama’s Covert War in Yemen.” New America Foundation. [Online]. Available:http://yemendrones.newamerica.net/

Rowland and Bergen of New America Foundation’s National Security Studies Program have compiled one of the most comprehensive datasets on drone strikes in Yemen available. Data on strike dates, targets, low-to-high death estimates, known deaths of militant leaders, as well as the nation responsible for the strike. The link provides an interactive map with full data on each strike and links to primary sources of information. Assessment: Rowland and Bergen have compiles one of the most complete datasets on drone strikes in Yemen available, making it an essential source. Data is presented factually without interpretation and is built on reputable and credible primary sources.

 

N. Shachtman/CNN. (2012, September 6).  “Obama Finally Talks Drone War, But It’s Almost Impossible to Believe Him,” Danger Room, Wired, with video from CNN.  [Online].  Available: http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/obama-drone/

The feature of Noah Shachtman’s piece is a CNN interview of President Obama on the subject of US drone programs.  While the interview provides little additional insight into the processes behind the targeting for  drone strikes, it is valuable to hear the President speak personally on the subject.  Assessment: Little new information beyond what is found in other sources is found in this piece, but it is valuable to have a first-hand account from the President on the subject of drone strikes and the targeting process.
J. M. Sharp, “Yemen: Background and US Relations,” Congressional Research Service, no. RL34170, April 10 2010.

This report provides background on Yemen and its relations with the US in the context of the former’s recent change in leadership and expanded cooperation with the US in countering the threat posed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Assessment: An essential document to understanding current US relations with Yemen and how they have developed over time. It is among the most recent reports provided by the Congressional Research Service and is authoritative in the information it provides. See also: Alfred B. Prados and Jeremy M. Sharp, ”Yemen: Current Conditions and US Relations”

N. Shinwari, “Understanding FATA: 2011. Attitudes Towards Governance, Religion & Society in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas,” [Online].  Available:

http://www.understandingfata.org/uf-volume-v/Understanding_FATA_Vol-V-11.pdf

The report provides quantitative and qualitative data analyzing the opinions of habitants in the FATA region. The data shows that many in the region are concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the region, while leading concerns are socio-economic based. The data also points to a lack of development and essential services reaching the majority of people. The reports also finds that the inhabitants do support the Pakistani military in efforts to remove foreign fighters but without U.S. or other outside assistance. Assessment: The report offers a unqiue, academic look into the region. The methodology used is sound and provides reliable insight into the region not found in other sources.

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2010, May 28).  “Study on targeted killings.” United Nations.  [Online].  Available: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/14session/A.HRC.14.24.Add6.pdf

Report of the Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on the legality of American, Israeli, and Russian policies permitting targeted killings, including those carried out in territories of other states. The report argues that these policies set a dangerous precedent in international law by osbscuring the boundaries of traditional legal frameworks and ultimately concludes that more stringent measures must be taken to limit overreach of such programs. Assessment: This document is useful for understanding the legal issues at the core of the US drones and targeted killings debate. It also provides a comparative perspective on the programs of other nations. The report does present a very clear agenda, as it argues for stringent measures that would effectively curtail most targeted killings, but provides a thorough examination of existing legal structures regardless.

US Air Force.  (2012, January 5). “MQ-1B   Predator.” US Air Force. [Online]. Available:http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=122

Factsheet on the MQ-1B “Predator” drone produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

US Air Force.   (2012, January 5).  “MQ-9 Reaper.” US Air Force. [Online]. Available:  http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=6405

Factsheet on the MQ-9 “Reaper” drone produced by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.

US  Air Force.  (2012, January 27).  “RQ-4 Global Hawk.” US Air Force. [Online]. Available:  http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=13225

Factsheet on the RQ-4 “Global Hawk” drone produced by Northrup Grumman.

US Air Force (2012). “USAF Factsheet Links.” US Air Force. [Online]. Available:http://www.af.mil/information/factsheets/index.asp

Link provides access to factsheets on all USAF vehicles, weapons, and organizations.

J. I. Walsh. “Do Drone Strikes Degrade Al Qaeda? Evidence from Propaganda Output.”  Forthcoming in Terrorism and Political Violence.  December 21, 2011. [Online].  Available: http://www.jamesigoewalsh.com/tpv.pdf

This paper seeks to use empirical evidence to establish the relationship between drone strikes and the propaganda output of Al Qaeda cells operating in the targeted areas.  Walsh elects to use propaganda because, unlike casualty rates and the presence of terrorists, it can be readily observed and measured.  The author concludes that drone strikes have had little to no effect on Al Qaeda’s ability to generate propaganda.  Assessment: Walsh’s work is both insightful and important in that it provides an alternate approach towards empirically measuring the effects of drone strikes by using data that can be observed and measured.  The approach the study takes is an econometric assessment that is fairly robust and thorough in nature.

S. Wilson. (2011, December 3). “In Gaza, lives shaped by drones.”  The Washington Post, with Foreign Policy. [Online].  Available: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-gaza-lives-shaped-by-drones/2011/11/30/gIQAjaP6OO_story.html

This article examines the development and effects of drones in Gaza, where Israel has employed drones in surveillance and targeted killings for over three decades. A pioneer in drone technology and its use in counterterrorism strategy, Israel’s practices are considered a template for current US drone pro-grams. This article explores the impact drones have had in Gaza with implications for areas currently targeted by the US. Assessment: A very informative piece for historical and comparative purposes. Is one of few empirical examinations of effects of drone strikes and targeted killing programs, making it an important reference point for considering potential effects of US drone strikes.

Compiled by AshleyBoyle, updated and edited by Galen Petruso

During China’s twice-a-year show, visitors got to see an impressive and, to some, alarming fleet of drones developed by Chinese companies, including many models resembling U.S. drones with their body shape, flight specs, and their missile and surveillance capabilities.

It’s evident that China intends to take full advantage of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to achieve its national interests – including their territorial disputes over the Senkaku Islands and South China Sea. The U.S. and the World should, therefore, be concerned with this development given that this may lead to a drone race between the top two producers of drones – the U.S. and China.

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 1 of 2

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoEm32vs9M

 

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 2 of 2

 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ute799P2ApM

What Will We Watch As Drones Evolve? - NPR

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkhuRT-B18E

Uploaded on Jan 25, 2012

This clip compiled by BestOfTheLeft.com
Subscribe to the full show this clip is from at www.npr.org

 

Published on 13 Apr 2012

Npr radio had a 30 minute drone special of which i caught 20 minutes of. 2 of 2

In a world whose militaries and governments are buzzing about the potential of the drones, it is no surprise that China is working to bring their drone program up to speed to compete with America just as President Obama is executing his "Asia Pivot" through strengthening U.S. military, political and economic presence in Asia. 

China is rising – as evident in its growing economic and military power – but the U.S. should not treat the Chinese drone program as a cause for panic. If the U.S. works towards countermeasures against drones from rival states – like China – the risk posed by the development of competing drone programs can be minimized allowing the U.S. to implement its "Asia Pivot" with one less impediment.

The Rise of the Drones

Drones are the strategic tools of the future, especially when it comes to the political contests between the major players in global affairs. The Department of Defense’s Defense Science Board (DSB) released a report on the future of drones as a potent tool of great powers like the U.S. and China.

The report notes that drones are fast becoming a “tipping point” in global affairs because:

“Armed forces in the United States and around the world have actively embraced unmanned systems. The advantages of these systems in terms of persistence, endurance and generally lower costs and deployment footprint have been highlighted in recent conflicts ... Unmanned systems have become an established part of military operations and will play an increasing role in the modern military machine.”

The value of the drone lies in its capacity to radically expand a military’s ability to gather intelligence and expand its ability to project its power beyond limits faced by frontline personnel. It can also carry out the unpleasant business of neutralizing enemies, including Anwar al-Awlaki and Abu Yahya al-Libi, Al Qaeda’s last number two leaders, with some civilian casualties.

However, the drone is not as precise or accurate as described by the defense industry – as shown by a joint study published by Stanford Law School and NYU School of Law, which detailed the considerable toll taken on civilians in Pakistan – and causes unintended consequences in its search and kill operations in multiple areas of U.S. intelligence operations.

The U.S. remains the leading market for drones, but other powers like China, Russia, Europe and the Middle East are also working to develop their own drone capabilities.

Unlike the other powers, China is the most prolific developer of a rival drone program to America's program. The DSB report said “[i]n a worrisome trend, China has ramped up research in recent years faster than any other country.”

China’s New “Dragons” in the Sky

Like the U.S., China has given its new fleet of UAVs unique code names – which often include the character for “dragon” or "long" – and designed them with comparable capabilities as their U.S. counterparts. Many of its newer models – including the CH-4, the Wing Loong and Xianglong – appears to be copies of the U.S. Reaper, Predator and Global Hawk designs.

The drone program has had a profound effect on China’s defense industry. The DSB report notes that “[China] displayed its first unmanned system model at the Zhuhai air show five years ago, and now every major manufacturer for the Chinese military has a research center devoted to unmanned systems.”

One unique aspect of the Chinese drone program is that the cost of the drones are significantly cheaper than those made by the U.S. and Israel. For example, according to Wired, "[t]he Wing Loong [the Chinese equivalent of the U.S. Reaper] reportedly comes at a rather incredible bargain price of $1 million (£625,000), compared to the Reaper's varying price tags in the $30 million (£18.7 million) range."

For China, their nascent drone program provides a valuable tool for projecting its power in Asia, especially in a time when it’s engaged in territorial disputes with its neighbors. More importantly, China feels a need to meet the threat in perceives in President Obama’s so-called “Asia Pivot.” The drones could act as the ideal surveillance tool in tracking U.S. and its Asian allies' military movements in the event of a crisis or international spat and act as a proxy weapon to deter assertive behavior over the South China Sea and Senkaku Islands.

At the same time, the cheaper Chinese drones are a hot export product line for the Chinese defense industry. Many African and Asian states have placed orders for the economic Chinese drones. "We've been contacting many countries, especially from Africa and Asia," Guo Qian, a director at a division of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The geostrategic impact of the advent of these new "dragons" is to stoke fears of a drone race between the U.S. and China, which have already manifested at the Pentagon.

Worried About the Dragons’ Reach

The U.S. is deeply concerned with the speed of the Chinese drone program and the growing resources being devoted to the program. The main concern, according to the DSB report, is as follows:

“The military significance of China’s move into unmanned systems is alarming. [China] has a great deal of technology, seemingly unlimited resources and clearly is leveraging all available information on Western unmanned systems development. China might easily match or outpace U.S. spending on unmanned systems, rapidly close the technology gaps and become a formidable global competitor in unmanned systems.”

Basically, the U.S. is afraid that it won't be able to keep up with a China that has invested itself in a intensive government-sponsored effort to compete with the U.S. drone program in terms of technical quality, quantity, and as a export product to clients in the developing world. On a strategic level, the Chinese drones could be the "tipping point" for giving the Chinese the edge  in possible future disputes in Asia with the U.S. as it attempts to create regional security as part of its "Asia Pivot."

There are several facts that provide some solace to the U.S. as China's drones are far from being a real challenge to the American drone program.

First, the Chinese drones are nowhere as sophisticated as U.S. drones in their range and proper hardware for optic systems and motors to power the "dragons." The DSB report notes that the U.S. technical systems are almost unrivaled at present.

Second, China lacks the manpower to properly support their new fleet of drones. Whereas the U.S. has been training and honing a large force of UAV pilots, technicians and operation managers for 15 years.

Finally, the U.S. drone program is about 20 years ahead of the Chinese program. The current models on show are considered to be prototypes and not finished products. The Chinese also have not had a chance to gain real experience with their drones during real operation.

The U.S. shouldn't be alarmed given these facts. Nor should it be overly critical of the Chinese drone program. Scott Shane of The New York Times observes that the U.S. has set the "international norms" for using drones:

"If China, for instance, sends killer drones into Kazakhstan to hunt minority Uighur Muslims it accuses of plotting terrorism, what will the United States say? What if India uses remotely controlled craft to hit terrorism suspects in Kashmir, or Russia sends drones after militants in the Caucasus? American officials who protest will likely find their own example thrown back at them."

The U.S. needs to take countermeasures against future risks from Chinese drones, but it needs not be overly alarmed or antsy. Clearly, President Obama and the U.S. has a need to work hard to keep the U.S. ahead of the competition from the "dragons" in order to implement the "Asia Pivot" and pursue U.S. interest in a balance of power in the region.

Are DRONES the future of delivery? U.S. firm plans vast network to deliver everything from drugs to post

• Matternet already trialling its drone in Haiti to deliver drugs to remote areas
• Drones could use huge networks with base station to recharge themselves 
  
• Networks set to be used in rural areas with poor road networks
  

By MARK PRIGG

PUBLISHED: 15:26, 31 May 2013

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2333741/Are-DRONES-future-delivery-US-firm-plans-vast-network-deliver-drugs-post.html

Drones could soon be delivering everything from post to drugs using a vast international network, a U.S. firm has claimed.

Matternet, a Silicon Valley startup, has already trialled the drone network in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where they were able to fly for six miles carrying a 2kg payload.

The firm now hopes to expand with an ambitious plan to replace existing delivery systems and set up a global network of 'drone routes' for the gadgets, which can automatically fly themselves.

Scroll down for video

You've got drone-mail: The U.S. startup hopes to initially use the network to deliver drugs and other supplies to third world countries

HOW IT WORKS

The matternet drones are entirely automated, and will be backed up by a network of 'hubs' on the ground rather like post offices.

These hubs would let the drones pick up and drop of packages, and also recharge their batteries before continuing to the next station.

Control of the drones and the assignment of packages for delivery would eventually be handled by an automated operating system, Matternet says, and orders or requests could  be placed and paid for by mobile phone.

The firm hopes to set up recharging base stations for the drones so they can stop and recharge themselves along the way. 

Currently the firm has drones that can travel six miles and carry 2kg, but has plans for larger drones with a longer range.

 

More...

• The space telescope that ANYONE can use to hunt for asteroids or take space photos - provided they help fund it
• The hi-tech tattoo that could replace ALL your passwords: Motorola reveals plans for ink and even pills to identify us

The firm hopes the system will be used initially in rural areas or countries where there is no established road network.

'The easiest way to describe what we are doing is to compare how mobile telephony has taken off in the developing world,' Matternet founder and CEO, Andreas Raptopoulos told CNN.

'(We want) to leapfrog the traditional modes of transportation infrastructure in a similar way and bring items through these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to people who may otherwise be cut off or isolated,'

So far, Matternet have reached the stage of running  trials of 'quadrocopter' drones, which took place in Haiti and the Dominican Republic last year.

The firm has ambitious plans.

'We are creating the next paradigm for transportation using a network of unmanned aerial vehicles,' it says.the next paradigm for transportation using a network of unmanned aerial vehicles

Urban drones: the delivery systems could eventually be used in cities around the world to automatically deliver packages

The potential applications, the firm says,include delivery of medicines to disconnected areas, enabling farmers to supply products directly to customers and providing vital materials to areas cut off by natural disasters.

If the initial trials are a success, a version for cities could also be built, allowing existing couriers to be replaced by unmanned drones flying through the sky.

The firm also believes the system could be relatively cheap, and according to CNN, a Matternet case study of the Maseru district of Lesotho, put the price of a network of 50 base-stations and 150 drones at just $900,000.

An artist's impression of how Matternet's drone network could expand across Africa to offer deliveries to remote areas using base stations

The prototype design for a Matternet drone, showing a large cargo carrying area in red, and six rotor blades to keep it in the air

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2333741/Are-DRONES-future-delivery-US-firm-plans-vast-network-deliver-drugs-post.html#ixzz2Ylwh3RdJ 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Welcome to The Keshe Foundation

http://www.keshefoundation.org/

 

One does not see wings, jet engines or propulsion rockets attached to the Earth for it to hold on to its position and to travel at thousands of Kilometers an hour for billions of years in its solar system.
With the new understanding of the creation of gravitational fields forces as of planetary systems like the Earth, the scientific intellect and the knowledge of the man has reached the level that he understands this fundamental principle of creation of universal motion and now we have replicated the technology of the universe in a plasma reactor for its applications in space travel.

This new method of using the interaction of both gravitational and magnetic fields of the reactor in respect to other celestial objects similar fields to attain motion and positioning, to create motion, energy and food exactly as in the universal objects as on the Earth and the Sun and without burning of any matter as in the universe and we call this new method of travels of using magnetic fields an spaceship program.

 

The Keshe Foundation is an independent non-profit and non-religious organization founded by nuclear engineer M.T. Keshe that aims to develop new scientific knowledge, new technologies and new solutions to major global problems like famine, water shortage, lack of electrical power supply, climate change, and disease, through the use of specially developed  plasma reactors which will also give Mankind the real freedom to travel in deep Space.

 

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 1 of 2

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoEm32vs9M

 

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 2 of 2

 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ute799P2ApM

What Will We Watch As Drones Evolve? - NPR

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkhuRT-B18E

Uploaded on Jan 25, 2012

This clip compiled by BestOfTheLeft.com
Subscribe to the full show this clip is from at www.npr.org

 

Published on 13 Apr 2012

Npr radio had a 30 minute drone special of which i caught 20 minutes of. 2 of 2

 

The new reactor and change in the course for human race

http://forum.keshefoundation.org/showthread.php?2170-The-new-reactor-and-change-in-the-course-for-human-race

In years of research, I have been observing phenomenon which was clear to me, but somehow I did not want to deal with this concept as I was too busy with other matters of the technology.

But eventual this nagging knowledge had to be dealt with.

The result of some forty years of research in the past weeks has led us to the development of one of the most powerful energy and Magravs systems known in the world of creation.

To my knowledge this system can only be produced on earth due to its chemical composition of its present matters.

I have seen the work of the miniature version of the system working as I have been carrying it for years, but it needed maturity of the knowledge and creation of the right environment before its release.

Now I am pleased to inform the forum, that we have and can produce one of the most powerful non-nuclear energy systems ever known.

Theoretically the full scale version can be done in days, but mechanically it can take up to six month to complete full control system.

The system will weigh less than 100 grams and its power production can be in the region of 1-10 MW or even more.

The systems Lift capability can be in the region of several thousand tones and the system Magravs boundary can be made to cover several kilometers.

I have seen this reactor in miniature working about eight years ago and it was so amazing that I did not want at the time to deal with this.

But through the medical research in the past weeks, there are no alternative but to go ahead and test the power of this new technology in full.

I talked about this in my lecture in Tesla meets Keshe in our center last year, and no one in the audience grasped the concept.

Now we are ready to fully design and develop this technology with its full applications and implications.

This new system once operational can meet most of nation’s needs for power, energy for automotive, space motion, environmental cleanup; medical, water shortages, hunger and so forth.

The process of production of this reactor is very easy and we try to make the system in miniature reactor in collaboration with one of the world leading nations in the coming month in our work with them.

I can see that the two mobile phone systems to produce as much energy as one needs to live a comfortable life, which I have been talking about in my lectures, is now fully realizable anywhere on this planet at the cost of a cup of coffee or a can of soft drink.

The home unit should not be hard to make that it can produce as much as one's needs for clean water and energy using a mobile phone anywhere on this planet.

In Africa this will change the course of humanity as even in the remotest villages there is a mobile phone, which it can produce the energy needs of the whole village.

This system has been the dream of universal Magravs producing cultures, and this puts human race at the forefront of the universal power and space motion technology, due to uniqueness of the earth physical Magravs structure.

The earth now with this technology becomes the center of universal lift and motion systems as this systems cannot easily be produced in space even though the knowledge to produce materials are known to other civilizations.

I will try to explain this in details in the near future, as I have physically to make a new version, but this new reactor technically make energy crises of the present time irrelevant and the whole energy supply of all nations can be met in a few months without a need for overhead cables and small satellite energy systems

We invite the major power producing nations like France and USA and companies like Suez which has been actively trying to discredit and blocking us for years in universities and governments across the world to arrange a conference for discussion and the commercialization of this new technology as from now on there is no more energy crises.

I was going to announce this development in Varna-Bulgaria last week in the three days conference, but I needed time to secure some points that our lives will not be in danger, now we are ready to take on major world nations for the balance of power in energy and space motion.

This new technology makes a nation like China energy self-sufficient in matter of month as they have all the materials they need to produce and meet their internal demand for energy and water production.

We promised the course of change through world peace, now we deliver the tools of peace to every nation and man on this planet.

We have secured our knowledge through appropriate channels that this technology by taking me out will not be blocked.

Leading nations and scientists whom have been working with us in development of the spaceship program are now fully in possession of this technology and we are ready to release full design of systems to a number of nations that they can collectively in collaborating they can bring balance in the world energy and spaceship program.



M T Keshe
The director of the Keshe Foundation

 

 

Japan the latest nation to receive the spaceship program

 

http://forum.keshefoundation.org/showthread.php?646-Japan-the-latest-nation-to-receive-the-spaceship-program

The Keshe Foundation is proud to announce that as of Friday 2 .11.2012 the Royal Imperial nation of Japan is the latest nation which has received the spaceship USB stick from the Keshe Foundation.

The gift of the SSP program was handed over to the embassy of the Japan on Friday 2.11.2012 at 1.30 pm.

From this day the nation of Japan can help its people to help themselves in cleaning-up of the Fukushima nuclear spillage using the gravitational space technology to contain any nuclear radiation leakage into the atmosphere and its surrounding areas.

The transfers of technology to the government of japan allows the nation to develop their own new energy supply system. This making this nation independent of import of energy as the nation become self-sufficient in matter of handful of years.

The content of all the SSP USB sticks for all nations is exactly the same and all are copied from the same mother master file. Therefore all nations receive the same patents and blueprint of apace reactor technology from the Keshe Foundation.

We congratulate the nation of japan in reciving the SSP USB stick.

We have offered the government of japan our full technological support to achieve and realize the technology as fast as possible for help in their present situation with the nuclear problem of the country.

The technology transfer to the goverment of Japan was done on no charge bases and as free gift from the Keshe Foundation to the hard working nation of Japan.

We welcome the nation of the japan into the SSP program family.

M T Keshe 
The Founder of the Keshe Foundation

 

Welcome to The Keshe Foundation

http://www.keshefoundation.org/

 

One does not see wings, jet engines or propulsion rockets attached to the Earth for it to hold on to its position and to travel at thousands of Kilometers an hour for billions of years in its solar system.
With the new understanding of the creation of gravitational fields forces as of planetary systems like the Earth, the scientific intellect and the knowledge of the man has reached the level that he understands this fundamental principle of creation of universal motion and now we have replicated the technology of the universe in a plasma reactor for its applications in space travel.

This new method of using the interaction of both gravitational and magnetic fields of the reactor in respect to other celestial objects similar fields to attain motion and positioning, to create motion, energy and food exactly as in the universal objects as on the Earth and the Sun and without burning of any matter as in the universe and we call this new method of travels of using magnetic fields an spaceship program.

 

The Keshe Foundation is an independent non-profit and non-religious organization founded by nuclear engineer M.T. Keshe that aims to develop new scientific knowledge, new technologies and new solutions to major global problems like famine, water shortage, lack of electrical power supply, climate change, and disease, through the use of specially developed  plasma reactors which will also give Mankind the real freedom to travel in deep Space.

 

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 1 of 2

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBoEm32vs9M

 

UAV Drone Special on NPR Radio (USA) 2 of 2

 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ute799P2ApM

What Will We Watch As Drones Evolve? - NPR

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkhuRT-B18E

Uploaded on Jan 25, 2012

This clip compiled by BestOfTheLeft.com
Subscribe to the full show this clip is from at www.npr.org

 

Published on 13 Apr 2012

Npr radio had a 30 minute drone special of which i caught 20 minutes of. 2 of 2

 

The new reactor and change in the course for human race

http://forum.keshefoundation.org/showthread.php?2170-The-new-reactor-and-change-in-the-course-for-human-race

In years of research, I have been observing phenomenon which was clear to me, but somehow I did not want to deal with this concept as I was too busy with other matters of the technology.

But eventual this nagging knowledge had to be dealt with.

The result of some forty years of research in the past weeks has led us to the development of one of the most powerful energy and Magravs systems known in the world of creation.

To my knowledge this system can only be produced on earth due to its chemical composition of its present matters.

I have seen the work of the miniature version of the system working as I have been carrying it for years, but it needed maturity of the knowledge and creation of the right environment before its release.

Now I am pleased to inform the forum, that we have and can produce one of the most powerful non-nuclear energy systems ever known.

Theoretically the full scale version can be done in days, but mechanically it can take up to six month to complete full control system.

The system will weigh less than 100 grams and its power production can be in the region of 1-10 MW or even more.

The systems Lift capability can be in the region of several thousand tones and the system Magravs boundary can be made to cover several kilometers.

I have seen this reactor in miniature working about eight years ago and it was so amazing that I did not want at the time to deal with this.

But through the medical research in the past weeks, there are no alternative but to go ahead and test the power of this new technology in full.

I talked about this in my lecture in Tesla meets Keshe in our center last year, and no one in the audience grasped the concept.

Now we are ready to fully design and develop this technology with its full applications and implications.

This new system once operational can meet most of nation’s needs for power, energy for automotive, space motion, environmental cleanup; medical, water shortages, hunger and so forth.

The process of production of this reactor is very easy and we try to make the system in miniature reactor in collaboration with one of the world leading nations in the coming month in our work with them.

I can see that the two mobile phone systems to produce as much energy as one needs to live a comfortable life, which I have been talking about in my lectures, is now fully realizable anywhere on this planet at the cost of a cup of coffee or a can of soft drink.

The home unit should not be hard to make that it can produce as much as one's needs for clean water and energy using a mobile phone anywhere on this planet.

In Africa this will change the course of humanity as even in the remotest villages there is a mobile phone, which it can produce the energy needs of the whole village.

This system has been the dream of universal Magravs producing cultures, and this puts human race at the forefront of the universal power and space motion technology, due to uniqueness of the earth physical Magravs structure.

The earth now with this technology becomes the center of universal lift and motion systems as this systems cannot easily be produced in space even though the knowledge to produce materials are known to other civilizations.

I will try to explain this in details in the near future, as I have physically to make a new version, but this new reactor technically make energy crises of the present time irrelevant and the whole energy supply of all nations can be met in a few months without a need for overhead cables and small satellite energy systems

We invite the major power producing nations like France and USA and companies like Suez which has been actively trying to discredit and blocking us for years in universities and governments across the world to arrange a conference for discussion and the commercialization of this new technology as from now on there is no more energy crises.

I was going to announce this development in Varna-Bulgaria last week in the three days conference, but I needed time to secure some points that our lives will not be in danger, now we are ready to take on major world nations for the balance of power in energy and space motion.

This new technology makes a nation like China energy self-sufficient in matter of month as they have all the materials they need to produce and meet their internal demand for energy and water production.

We promised the course of change through world peace, now we deliver the tools of peace to every nation and man on this planet.

We have secured our knowledge through appropriate channels that this technology by taking me out will not be blocked.

Leading nations and scientists whom have been working with us in development of the spaceship program are now fully in possession of this technology and we are ready to release full design of systems to a number of nations that they can collectively in collaborating they can bring balance in the world energy and spaceship program.



M T Keshe
The director of the Keshe Foundation

 

 

Japan the latest nation to receive the spaceship program

 

http://forum.keshefoundation.org/showthread.php?646-Japan-the-latest-nation-to-receive-the-spaceship-program

The Keshe Foundation is proud to announce that as of Friday 2 .11.2012 the Royal Imperial nation of Japan is the latest nation which has received the spaceship USB stick from the Keshe Foundation.

The gift of the SSP program was handed over to the embassy of the Japan on Friday 2.11.2012 at 1.30 pm.

From this day the nation of Japan can help its people to help themselves in cleaning-up of the Fukushima nuclear spillage using the gravitational space technology to contain any nuclear radiation leakage into the atmosphere and its surrounding areas.

The transfers of technology to the government of japan allows the nation to develop their own new energy supply system. This making this nation independent of import of energy as the nation become self-sufficient in matter of handful of years.

The content of all the SSP USB sticks for all nations is exactly the same and all are copied from the same mother master file. Therefore all nations receive the same patents and blueprint of apace reactor technology from the Keshe Foundation.

We congratulate the nation of japan in reciving the SSP USB stick.

We have offered the government of japan our full technological support to achieve and realize the technology as fast as possible for help in their present situation with the nuclear problem of the country.

The technology transfer to the goverment of Japan was done on no charge bases and as free gift from the Keshe Foundation to the hard working nation of Japan.

We welcome the nation of the japan into the SSP program family.

M T Keshe 
The Founder of the Keshe Foundation

‘OK, fine. Shoot him.’ Four words that heralded a decade of secret US drone killings

Home drones New Report Documents the Human Cost of U.S. Drone Strikes in Yemen

10 Jul 2013

New Report Documents the Human Cost of U.S. Drone Strikes in Yemen

 

'There are more than 80 names at the end of a human rights report published online this week. Each one is said to belong to a civilian killed or maimed as a result of U.S. missile strikes in Yemen since 2009. They were mothers, fathers, children and grandparents – and they stand in contrast to claims that the United States does not launch missiles into Yemen unless there is a "near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured," as President Obama told the nation in May.

The names are preceded by 25 pages of detailed descriptions of U.S. airstrikes in Yemen and their consequences, offering a rare level of information on specific attacks and their physical, psychological and financial impacts on individual Yemeni civilians.'

Read more: New Report Documents the Human Cost of U.S. Drone Strikes in Yemen

Ind. man with 47 guns arrested after school threat

CEDAR LAKE, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana man who allegedly threatened to "kill as many people as he could" at an elementary school near his home was arrested by officers who later found 47 guns and ammunition hidden throughout his home.

Von. I. Meyer, 60, of Cedar Lake, was arrested Saturday after prosecutors filed formal charges of felony intimidation, domestic battery and resisting law enforcement against him. He was being held Sunday without bond at the Lake County Jail, pending an initial hearing on the charges, police said in a statement.

Cedar Lake Police officers were called to Meyer's home early Friday after he allegedly threatened to set his wife on fire once she fell asleep, the statement said.

Meyer also threatened to enter nearby Jane Ball Elementary School "and kill as many people as he could before police could stop him," the statement said. Meyer's home is less than 1,000 feet from the school and linked to it by trails and paths through a wooded area, police said.

Police said in the statement that they notified school officials and boosted security at all area schools Friday — the same day 26 people, including 20 students, were shot and killed at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.

On Saturday, officers served warrants at Meyer's home and arrested him. The statement said police had learned that Meyer kept many weapons in his older, two-story home and "is a known member of the Invaders Motorcycle Gang."

Officers searched the home, finding 47 guns and ammunition worth more than $100,000 hidden throughout the home. Many of the weapons were collector's guns.

Cedar Lake is about 45 miles southeast of Chicago.

A dispatcher with Cedar Lake Police said that the police chief was not available for interviews until Monday.

Lake County police spokeswoman Patti Van Til said Sunday that a SWAT team from the department assisted in serving Saturday's warrants.

Jacintha Saldanha's Death: Australian DJs Behind Royal Prank May Face Police Probe

The two Australian DJs who pulled the prank call on the U.K. hospital where Kate Middleton was staying are now in hiding and may soon have to face police after the death of a nurse caught in the hoax.


Kate Middleton and Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, is thought to have taken her own life. 

 
2Day FM hosts, Michael Christian and Mel Greig.

Questions have been raised by members of the Australian public whether MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad where involved somehow in the death of  Indian-born mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha, 46, who the UK media are claiming that she took her own life...
and it is noted that all media reports coming from the United Kingdom only ever call it a suspected suicide... but was it a murder by  MI5, MI6 and/or their well known murder partners Mossad 
to make and example of the nurse who gave out the private information about Kate Middleton  who was in a U.K. hospital...



Australian readers of  INLNews.com and awn.bz who have read all about the murder of Thomas Allwood, 

INL News Under-Cover Investigative Journalist  and co producer with Stephen Carew-Reid and  the INL News Group of Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Shows Have, on the 21st June, 2012 in  Broxburn Scotland which is about an hour's drive from Edinburgh... and how the Scottish Lothian Borders Police and the Scottish Prosecution known in Scotland  as the Procurator Fiscal's Office  and the world's media are clearly not looking closely enough the evidence brought out at the recent trial of Kyle Montgomery heard from the 19th November to the 26th November 2012 in Scotland's High Court in Livingston, who had been charged by the Scottish Lothian Borders Police for the murder of Thomas Allwood ..the evidence clearly indicates strongly that Thomas Allwood was not murdered by Kyle Montgomery who locals in Broxburn say is a well known local mentally depressed Scitzophrenic  at around 2.20am on the 21st July, 2012 ... as implied by his father John Montgomery in his  sworn evidence at by Kyle Montgomery's  trial... when the much more believable independent evidence from two next door neighbours who have a common wall with John Montgomery's house in Galloway Cresent, Broxburn was produced at the trial that say they both heard and felt an enormous bang on their bedroom wall that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in...coming from John Montgomery's house at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012.... which was the loudest bang that they had ever heard coming from John Montgomery's house which they stated was like living next door to a pub with drinking, shouting, arguing and fighting went on all the time all hours of the day and night... they said in evidence that before the enormous bang there was loud shouting, screaming, arguing and fighting coming from John Montgomery's house... however as soon as the enormous bang happened that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in... there was complete silence coming from John Montgomery's house... and then they heard the back door quietly open and close ... which was first time that that door was ever opened and close without being slammed for the last couple of years since they lived next door to John Montgomery's house..... John Montgomery had given sworn evidence at his sons trial that after his son grabbed a bread knife from his kitchen draw and ran out the back door after Thomas Allwood, who was unarmed when he left the house a few minutes before, and that his son Kyle Montgomery came back into the house a few minutes later with blood on the bread knife admitting to his Dad, John Montgomery, that he had just done something bad... John Montgomery then said he took to bread knife with blood on it from his Son, Kyle Montgomery and calmly placed it back into the draw still with the blook on it... then Kyle Montgomery left the house and John Montgomery calmly had another drink and then fell asleep on the lounge and did not wake up until the police turned up and arrested him at about 5 am on the 21st June, 2012... another person who was at John Montgomery's house that early morning on the 21st June, 2012 was a lady known as Maggie whose name is Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name- a very well connected and influential family in Scotland with a famous politician George Galloway and a Freemason Scottish Police Officer Hugh Galloway  of 7 Tower Place Johnstone Renfrewshire Renfrewshire 791 being member of the family)...John Montgomery's family also are well connnected and respected in Scotland with war heros in the family and a Freemason Police Officer Alexander Montgomery  51 Parkhead Rd Glen Village by Falkirk Stirlingshire 484

also a member of the Montgomery Family.... so it does not seem believable that John Montgomery would not have been awake and/or woken up with the enormous bang coming from his house at about 3.15 that the next door neighbours say was the loudest bang they had ever heard from John Montgomery's house and felt like their bedroom wall was going to cave in... so this clearly indicates along with other evidence that John Montgomery had lied on the witness stand and in doing so has implicated his Kyle Montgomery as the person who was likely to have made a fatal six inch stab wound in the right chest of Thomas Allwood through cloths with a bread knife that would have cerated edge and no sharp point for stabbing anyone through clothing which is only suitable for a sawing acting rather that a stabbing action...however at the same time implicating Kyle Montgomery as the likely person who made the fatal six inch stab wound in Thomas Allwood's right chest that cut through a main archery causing the death of Thomas Allwood... John Montgomery gave evidence which is believed by the jury could get his son off the murder charge his Son Kyle Montgomery was facing and to try and convince the jury that his son

 Kyle Montgomery was only guilty of culperable homicide... which is like an accident homicide crime that resulted in the death of a person without intent in a drunken fight that got out of hand ... even though the bar maid gave evidence at the trial that Thomas Allwood was only drinking soft drinks that night... and Kyle Montgomery had been alcohol drinking heavily since about 1pm on the 20th June, 2012.....and so was his father John Montgomery drinking alcohol heavily since at least 8pm and likely most of the day since he received his government benefit cheque  that day... in fact the jury based mainly on his father's evidence... very conveniently  for all those Scottish Government officials  involved in the investigation into the murder of Thomas Allwood.... and others...  found Kyle Montgomery not guilty of the murder of Thomas Allwood and found Kyle Montgomery guilty of the lesser charge of Culperable homicide (accidental death) of Thomas Allwood....now the evidence that came out at the trial of Kyle Montgomery seems to clearly indicate that there were at least four people... maybe more in the house of Kyle Montgomery from 10pm on the 2oth June, 2012 and about 3.30 am on the 21st June, 2012... and in fact at least voices coming from John Montgomery's house that night and early morning were heard by the next door neighbours ....these seem to include...Thomas Allwood, John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name) and maybe others who did not want to make themselves known and kept reasonable quiet while at John Montgomery's house... the evidence seems to clearly indicate that at 2am to 2.30 am on the 21st June, 2012 when John Montgomery states was the time frame when his son Kyle Montgomery was meant to have gone out the back door and meant to have stabbed Thomas Allwood with a bread knife and came back with blood on the knife admitting he has just done something bad...making it fairly obvious to the at least three people left at the house which at the least included John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and Margaret Shedden (Galloway being her birth name)... that Kyle Montgomery had just stabbed Tomas Allwood outside in the back yard and/or a nearby street .. and that Thomas Allwood would be likely have been badly hurt from a stab wound and would have needed urgent medical attention.... regardless if  was considered that stabbing of Thomas Allwood by Kyle Montgomery deliberate and/or in self defense... either way it would have been clear to these three people and anyone else that may have been at John Montgomery's house at that time, that they should call an ambulance and the police immediately to make sure that Thomas Allwood obtained urgent medical attention which if had been done then could well have saved the life of Thomas Allwood... sure the fact that neither of these people bothered to ring the police and/or an ambulance to try and get urgent help for Thomas Allwood at around 2.20-2.30 am...if what John Montgomery says id true.... they all should be charged with being responsible for the murder and/or death of Thomas Allwood as they seemed to just let him die on the street or the back yard.. and under Australian law could well be charged as accessories after the fact and at least charged with some serious charge that resulted in the death of Thomas Allwood... very similar to walking away from a serious car accident where it is clear someone had been seriously hurt and not calling the police and/or an ambulance....

Now... when one looks at the evidence of the two next door neighbours that say they both heard and felt an enormous bang on their bedroom wall that felt like their bedroom wall was about to cave in...coming from John Montgomery's house at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012.... which was the loudest bang that they had ever heard coming from John Montgomery's house... then the more believable  truth is that at about 3.15 am Thomas Allwood was king hit by someone and/or some people with either a fist or fists and/or a hard object that was enough to knock out Thomas Allwood.. then the body of Thomas Allwood was carried outside while Thomas Allwood was still unconscious ...then someone stabbed Thomas Allwood... not with a bread knife but a sharp pen knife which made the deep six inch stab wound into the right chest of Thomas Allwood that cut a main archery so that Thomas Allwood was never wake up and would bleed to death... and then quietly they carried Thomas Allwood body to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left the body  there at about 3.30 am where the body was found at about 4.45 am by three boys walking past at that time...the neighbour that had a window open looking right over where Thomas Allwood's body was found says you can hear a pin drop in her street and there was not one sound or noise in her street that early morning... and the only noise that was heard was the sound of the police at about 5am looking at the body and the murder scene... so it is clear that there was not fighting in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning and so screaming or cries for help from Thomas Allwood in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning.. why?... because Thomas Allwood was obviously carried and left there and was already unconscious having been knocked out before he was stabbed with the six inch stab wound and then stabbed and then carried to to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left there... private investigators employed by friends and family of Thomas Allwood have a strong belief that the evidence clearly suggests that Thomas Allwood was not murdered and/or even killed by Kyle Montgomery with a bread knife but was murdered by a contract killer well trained to know where and how to stab a person with one six inch stab wound with a very sharp and pointed pen knife which is designed to be able to kill some with just one stab wound.... the people in the world that are well known to be able to know how to murder someone with just one stab wound are agents and/or assets of MI5, MI6 and Mossad... and it is well known they work as agents for the state of the United Kingdom and the UK Prime Minister's Office to carry out murders of people like Thomas Allwood who was an undercover INL News Investigative Journalist who was working on a story to expose state of the United Kingdom and the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron and their Treasury Solicitors and Barristers for knowing being involved with having a false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document and having that false and fraudulent document presented to the High Court of Justice to stop Thomas Allwood from successfully claiming £500 million in damages claim for the wrongful arrest of USA Comedian Ronnie Prouty by the UK Border Agency on the 27th April, 2011 as a favour for the powerful Rupert and James Murdoch and their all powerful media group News Corporation as a way of commercially sabotaging the planned filming of the pilot fo the Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Show in Edinburgh in April- May 2011 being co-produced by Thomas Allwood, Stephen Carew-Reid (the author of the well known bboks The Triumph of Truth -Who Is Watching the Watchers? and the original founder of the INL News Group-formerly known as the Australian Weekend News Publishing Group) and the INL News Group to create an international showcase of talented entertainers that perform at the 60 year old Edinburgh Fringe Festival each year... which has become the biggest arts festival in the world with over 3,000 Fringe shows being performed during August each year in Edinburgh....

Below is some the transcripts of what was said at a court hearing in London's High Court of Justice heard on the 24th July, 2012 where applications were originally listed to be heard by Thomas Allwood prior to his murder on the 21st June, 2012 in Broxburn, Scotland for criminal contempt applications to be heard against  David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency and their treasury solicitors  for knowingly having prepared a false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document and presenting such false and fraudulent UK Border Agency document to the High Court of Justice to try to stop Thomas Allwood from suing David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency for £500 million in damages caused to the filming of the Fringe Shows Have Talent TV Show by the wrongful arrest of USA Comedian Ronnie Prouty on the 27th April, 2012 at Heathrow Airport as favour David Cameron and George Osborne's good friends at the time...Rupert and James Murdoch and their all powerful multi- billion media group known as News Corporation..the murder of Thomas Allwood on the 21st June, 2012 meant that would stop Thomas Allwood continuing with his criminl contempt applications against suing David Cameron the UK Prime Minister, George Osborne, the UK Chancellor, the UK Government, the UK Border Agency and their treasury solicitors and well as other criminal contempt applications taken out against barristers and solicitors involving another legal fight Thomas Allwood and his de-facto partner Valerie Butler where involved with at the High Court of Justice in their fight over their 25 acre family farm known as Haywicks Farm, Haywicks Lane, Hardwicke, Gloucester in the UK... where Thomas Allwood alleged that powerful and well connected s Freemason solicitors and barrister in Gloucester that Thomas Allwood called the Gloucestershire Legal Mafia (GLM) were involved with the preparing a false will in the name of Valerie Butler's father Herbert Butler and presenting that false will for a wrongful grant of probate so that partners of the Gloucestershire Legal Mafia (GLM) could wrongly obtain the title deed of their 25 acre family farm known as Haywicks Farm, Haywicks Lane, Hardwicke, Gloucester in the UK which they had planned to turn into a multi-million luxury real estate development ... Thomas Allwood also had a firm belief and was not scared to openly say...that Valerie Butler's father Herbert Butler was also murdered as part of the conspiracy he alleged to defraud his de-facto partner Valerie Butler of her rightful ownership of Haywicks Farm..

Some of the reasons why the Private Investigation Team employed by friends and family of the late Thomas Allwood to investigate who and why Thomas Allwood was murdered on the 21st June. 2012 in Broxburn, Scotland strongly believe that the powerful agents of the State of the United Kingdom such as MI5, MI6 and/or Mossad and/or some other professional contract murdered was and/or were involved in the murder of Thomas Allwood on the 21st June, 2012 include:

1. The Scottish Lothian Borders Police and the Scottish Prosecution known in Scotland  as the Procurator Fiscal's Office  and the world's media are clearly not looking closely enough the evidence brought out at the recent trial of Kyle Montgomery heard from the 19th November to the 26th November 2012 in Scotland's High Court in Livingston, who had been charged by the Scottish Lothian Borders Police for the murder of Thomas Allwood ... seem to be risking their worldwide good  reputation by quite openly protecting those at the house of John Montgomery on the evening of the 20th June, 2012 and the early morning of the 21st June, 2012 who according to the evidence of John Montgomery, and including John Montgomery knew that Thomas Allwood was likely badly wounded from a stab wound at about 2.20 am and did niot ring the police of an ambulance and simply went to sleep and left Thomas Allwood to die on the road just a street away from John Montgomery's house

2.  Why is there a complete worldwide media block out.. except for one lone Scottish Journalist Vic Roderick who was the only journalist to cover the trial... who has now been silenced by the world mainstream  media with what is called a "D Notice" on the reporting of the murder/death of Thomas Allwood who was an undercover INL News Investigative Journalist, Poet and TV Shows producer of the Fringe Shows have Talent TV Show...

3. Why is the a mentally sick person such as Kyle Montgomery whom the locals say is a well known Scitzophrenic which is capable to believing and/or repeating any story he is told is the truth.. being made a patsy for the death of Thomas Allwood.. .at about 2.20 am when  the evidence clearly indicates that Thomas Allwood was knocked unconscious in the house of John Montghomery at about 3.15 am on the 21st June, 2012 and then carried out of the house and then stabbed with a six inch wound in the right chest cutting a main archery nd then carried to be let to die on Clarkson and Pyothall Road, Broxburn

With the more believable  truth is that at about 3.15 am Thomas Allwood was king hit by someone and/or some people with either a fist or fists and/or a hard object that was enough to knock out Thomas Allwood.. then the body of Thomas Allwood was carried outside while Thomas Allwood was still unconscious ...then someone stabbed Thomas Allwood... not with a bread knife but a sharp pen knife which made the deep six inch stab wound into the right chest of Thomas Allwood that cut a main archery so that Thomas Allwood was never wake up and would bleed to death... and then quietly they carried Thomas Allwood body to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left the body  there at about 3.30 am where the body was found at about 4.45 am by three boys walking past at that time...the neighbour that had a window open looking right over where Thomas Allwood's body was found says you can hear a pin drop in her street and there was not one sound or noise in her street that early morning... and the only noise that was heard was the sound of the police at about 5am looking at the body and the murder scene...

so it is clear that there was not fighting in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning and so screaming or cries for help from Thomas Allwood in her street that morning at 2.00-4.00 am where the body was found that morning.. why?... because Thomas Allwood was obviously carried and left there and was already unconscious having been knocked out before he was stabbed with the six inch stab wound and then stabbed and then carried to to the next streets Clarkson and Pyothall Roads and quietly left there... private investigators employed by friends and family of Thomas Allwood have a strong belief that the evidence clearly suggests that Thomas Allwood was not murdered and/or even killed by Kyle Montgomery with a bread knife but was murdered by a contract killer well trained to know where and how to stab a person with one six inch stab wound with a very sharp and pointed pen knife which is designed to be able to kill some with just one stab wound.... the people in the world that are well known to be able to know how to murder someone with just one stab wound are agents and/or assets of MI5, MI6 and Mossad...

Part of the transcripts of hearing before Justice Vos at High Court of Justice in London on the 24th July, 2012

Miss Love: The Border Agency matter.

Mr Justice Vos: I know, but I do not have any of the core papers in the Border Agency matter. What is the action no?

Miss Love: My Lord, it is HC11C04395

Mr Justice Vos: You see that is why, I have been through all the cases, and I do not have any papers in that except your letter and the correspondence.

Miss Love: Right

Mr Justice Vos: If I just pick it up. I have this much stuff on the UKBA, but it really is just your letter and a lot of historical material, and material concerning the famous INL News Group.

Miss Love: Mr Lord, we can remedy that situation _ I am sure your Lordship does not particularily want further copies of the correspondence, but certainly of the original claim form_

Mr Justice Vos: That is what I would like. So there was an application, was there, in that matter that was returnable today?

Miss Love: There was....

Mr Justice Vos: To do what?

Miss Love: If I could just start the procedural history, the claim by Mr Carew-Reid, which in essense was apparently a claim for damages in respect of treatment by the UK Border Agency of an individual known as Mr Prouty was issued on 9th December, 2011...

Page 6:

Miss Love: as you will see, it appears to be some hybrid of striking out and appealing the order of Master Bowles, an application for the cross-examination of myself and Mr Spanton, who was acting Treasury Solicitor and a generalised, if I might respectfully say so, rather difficult to grasp criminal contempt application..

Mr Justice Vos: It is another criminal contempt

Page 8:

Mr Geis: But the point was that Mr Prouty was refused entry into the UK and I've seen the forms that Mr Carew-Reid had, and there was one form which did not have a signature on. Now, I think this does cause for a bit of alarm and I think you should carefully consider this point and. if necessary, make an adjournment.

Mr Justice Vos: Thank you, Mr Gies...

Miss Lean: My Lord may have seen in the more recent correspondence from Mr Reid and INL that clearly they have concerns that this was a murder effected by MI5 or Mossad and/or other agents of the State, but as  far as we are aware it is being dealt with as a criminal murder charge (murder of Thomas Allwood)

Mr Justice Voss: Yes, and who was Mr Allwood- apart from being a party to litigation, did he occupy some important position?....

Miss Lean: My Lord, for completeness, I should mention I am afraid among the many letters and emails from members of the INL News Group I do not have that one. I think I have seen some reference in the correspondence to Mr Allwood being involved with the INL News Group in some capacity so that may be the...

Mr Justice Voss: Right, but he was a associate and friend of Mr Carew-Reid, that is what it comes to?.... Right, thank you. Well Mr Carew-Reid himself says he was a friend of Mr Carew-Reid's side, I do not think we need to go further than that.....

Jacintha Saldanha's Death: Australian DJs Behind Royal Prank May Face Police Probe

The two Australian DJs who pulled the prank call on the U.K. hospital where Kate Middleton was staying are now in hiding and may soon have to face police after the death of a nurse caught in the hoax.

This morning, there are also new questions about whether DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, radio shock jocks at Sydney's 2Day FM broke laws after they recorded the private conversation when they pretended to be Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.

British police have also contacted Australian police about a possible probe into the prank call, The Associated Press reported Sunday.

Rhys Holleran, CEO of Southern Cross Austereo, the parent company of Sydney's 2Day FM radio station said no laws were broken. The prank had been cleared by the Australian radio station's lawyers. Holleran said the DJs followed the company's procedures before broadcasting the call. "I think the more important question here is that we're very confident that we haven't done anything illegal. Our main concern at this point in time is what has happened is incredibly tragic and we're deeply saddened and we're incredibly affected by that," Holleran said Saturday. The hoax has caused public outcry after the death of a nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, who connected the pair to the Duchess' room.

Saldanha was found dead Friday morning after police were called to an address near the hospital to "reports of a woman found unconscious," according to a statement from Scotland Yard. Circumstances of her death are still being investigated, but are not suspicious at this stage, authorities said earlier. Lord Glenarthur, the chairman of King Edward VII's Hospital, the U.K. hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was receiving treatment, condemned the prank Saturday in a letter to the Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, the Australian radio station's parent company.

Glenarthur said the prank humiliated "two dedicated and caring nurses," and the consequences were "tragic beyond words," The Associated Press reported. Max Moore-Wilton, the chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, said in a letter to Lord Glenarthur Sunday that the company is reviewing the station's broadcast policies, the AP reported. "I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved," Moore-Wilton said in the letter. "As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable." Saldanha came to England from India nine years ago, with her husband and two children. On Facebook, her 14-year-old daughter wrote this weekend, simply: "I miss you, I loveeee you."

Saldanha worked as a nurse at King Edward VII private hospital for four years. Her family lives 100 miles away in Bristol, but while on shift she slept in a residence for nurses. With no receptionist on duty overnight she answered the prank call and put it through. The hospital called her a "first-class nurse" and "a well-respected and popular member of the staff" and extended "deepest sympathies" to family and friends, saying that "everyone is shocked" at this "tragic event."

The duchess spent three days at the hospital undergoing treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, severe or debilitating nausea and vomiting. She was released from the hospital Thursday morning. The hospital apologized for the mistake.

A man who stabbed a photographer to death in a drunken street brawl was caught after police found a blood-stained knife in a cutlery drawer.

http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/203156-killer-who-stabbed-man-to-death-had-bloody-knife-in-cutlery-drawer/

A man who stabbed a photographer to death in a drunken street brawl was caught after police found a blood-stained knife in a cutlery drawer.

Kyle Montgomery, 24, denied murdering Thomas Allwood after a late-night drinking session but was found guilty of culpable homicide by a jury on Wednesday.

Jurors at the High Court in Livingston took four and a half hours to return a guilty verdict on the lesser charge.

Sentence on the first-time offender, of Winchburgh, West Lothian, was deferred until December 20 for background reports.

Mr Allwood, a 56-year-old photographer who worked for the Australian-based INL News Group, was stabbed in the chest during an incident on June 21.

Giving evidence in his own defence, Montgomery claimed he grabbed the knife to frighten Mr Allwood after being attacked by him at a house in Broxburn, West Lothian.

He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery as he struggled with the victim.

Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from Mr Allwood's body to Montgomery's father’s home. They found the knife, still stained with blood, in a cutlery drawer.

Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.

Mr Allwood was a photographer with the Australian-based INL News Group. Although he was born in Scotland, his family emigrated when he was a child and he spent most of his live in Australia.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/murder-trial-told-dna-of-victim-1453803

Murder trial told DNA of victim and alleged killer found on kitchen knife

24 Nov 2012 00:01

THE knife was found in the kitchen of the dad of Kyle Montgomery, who denies murdering Thomas Allwood.

THE DNA of a murder victim and his alleged killer were found on a kitchen knife, a court heard yesterday.

The High Court in Livingston was told the odds of the DNA matching anyone other than the deceased, Thomas Allwood, were 28,600,000-1.

Blood samples lifted from the blade were a billion-to-one match for 24-year-old Kyle Montgomery, who denies murdering Thomas in Broxburn on June 21.

The knife was found in Montgomery’s dad’s kitchen.

Forensic scientist Kirsty McTurk told the jury: “The findings are consistent with Kyle Montgomery having assaulted Thomas Allwood.”

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/scottish-news/top-stories/man-caused-stab-death-by-accident-1-2664172

Man ‘caused stab death by accident’

Published on Wednesday 28 November 2012

A MAN accused of murdering an Australian journalist has claimed he must have stabbed the victim to death by accident.

Kyle Montgomery admitted that he armed himself with a kitchen knife and squared up to 56-year-old Thomas Graham Allwood.

He claimed in evidence at the High Court in Livingston that the blade was for his own “protection” and he had no intention of using it.

After being attacked twice by the victim, he said he just wanted to “scare him off” with the knife.

He struggled with Mr Allwood, who was armed with a metal pole or iron bar, but said he was unaware of inflicting the fatal blow which severed the main artery above his heart.

Montgomery, 24, from Winchburgh, West Lothian, denies murdering Mr Allwood in Broxburn on June 21.

In his closing speech yesterday, advocate depute Martin Macari asked the jury to convict Montgomery of murder. He said: “Whatever happened between those men, Kyle Montgomery had returned to the house to get a weapon.”

Derek Ogg QC, defending, said: “If he didn’t realise he’d caused that injury, he could not and did not have any criminal intent towards Mr Allwood.”

Judge Lord Doherty was due to deliver his charge to the jury this morning.

Comment from INL News Reader: Mary Gleeson

I have read all the published stories on the trial of Kyle Montgomery who was charged with the murder of INL Journalist Thomas Allwood, and all other previous media reports I could find on the web since Thomas Allwood was first reported on the BBC website on the 22nd June 2012 that he had been murdered in Broxburn, Scotland and that Kyle Montgomery was charged with Willfull murder of Thomas Allwood... and I have come to the conclusion that the way the evidence has presented at the trial of Kyle Montgomery and what evidence has been given by the witnesses the dots simply do not add up... and the trial has created more questions than answers..... when it seems clear that this Maggie lady, described as a female friend of Thomas Allwood and tJohn Montgomery, the father of the accused ..according to John Montgomery's evidence were in the house when Kyle Montgomery deliberately went outside to chase after Thomas Allwood with a bread knife... rather than jut locking lall the doors and windows of his father's house t make sure Thomas Allwood can not get back into their house....because they were meant to be in fear of him... then ring the police and say that Thomas Allwood was threatening Kyle Montgomery and had attacked Kyle Montgomery in John Montgomery's house ( all according the John Montgomery) and was continuing to bang on their door ... then the police would have come around immediately and arrested Thomas Allwood... who would then have spent the night in the police lock up.... where he would have woken up the next morning alive and be able to explain to a magistrate and/or the police what happened that night... no it all did not happen that way... John and Kyle Montgomery both claim that having removed Thomas Allwood from John Montgomery's house.... and expecting Thomas Allwood to have been unarmed....deliberately ran out of the back door of the house to the back garden for the purpose to chase Thomas Allwood with a bread knife in his hand.... instead of staying safe in his dads house and ringing the police.... now I read in the above article the unbelievable claim by Kyle Montgomery that Thomas Allwood   "was armed with a metal pole or iron bar" and thus was acting in self defence after delieberately going outside to look for Thomas Allwood to attack him with a knife... other purpose  would he have grabbed the knife and run outside with it for... it can only be to stab Thomas Allwood who he thought was unarmed... now Kyle Montgomery seems on the evidence had been drinking heavily since bout 1pm at his dads house and would have been very drunk by 2am the next morning and Thomas Allwood looks like a big man and Kyle Montgomery looks like a small thin boy... and thus could easily be over powered by Thomas Allwood even without Thomas Allwood have a metal pole or an iron bar to defend himself with from a vicious knife attack... we also heard from John Montgomery who said that Thomas Allwood had his son Kyle Montgomery pinned on the floor with his foot on his chest... which shows that Thomas Allwood had no problem in over powering Kyle Montgomery without any weapon of any sort.... then se have the unbelievable story of John Montgomery that at the same time the Thomas Allwood had his son Kyle Montgomery pinned to the floor by having his foot on his chest... Thomas Allwood was meant to have his hands around Kyle Montgomery's throat trying to strangle Kyle Montgomery... this is simply physically impossible for a tall big man to do at the same time as standing up with his foot on the person's chest....it is simply also unbelievable that that Thomas Allwood was armed outside with a metal pole or iron bar because if that was the case having already being told by John Montgomery that Thomas Allwood had no problem about being able to overpower Kyle Montgomery without any weapon, the how the hell is Kyle Montgomery going to be able fatally stab Thomas Allwood with just one six inch stab wound with a bread knife ( bread knife do not have pointy tips and just a cerated edge for a sawing action for bread or meat but not a stapping action) through clothing knowing the exact place to stab (single handed) a big man to kil him with one stab wound in the front chest ( not in the back)  who is well aware that of the identity of the attacked and that the attcked is likely to attack because of a previous disagreement in the house.... and Thomas Allwood is also now armed with a metal pole or an iron bar.... which in one swing would have knocked small frail drunk Kyle Montgomery for six ... there is no way Kyle Montgomery is going to have any chance of being able to make that one fatal stab wound all by himself.... no normal jury is going to beleive this story.. so there seems no doubt what ever happened that morning Thomas Allwood must have been unarmed and Kyle Montgomery would have have to hav had some helpers... if it was really Kyle Montgomery that handed the fatal stab wound on Thomas Allwood...at about 2.15 according to the timing given by his father John Montgomery... then John and Kyle Montgomery and the lasy Maggie have to explain what the enmormous bang against the wall of the next door neighbours bedroom that cam from John Montgomery's house at about 3.5 to 3.15 am that felt to them that their bedroom wall was abourt to cave in... then after there being constant arguing, shouting and fighting etc before this enormous bang at about 3.05 to 3.15 am on the 21st June 2012.. everything from John Montgomery's house suddenly went quiet and for the first tikme ever... the back door was opened and wht and the door was not slammed which indicated clearly that someone or some people went out the door of John Montgomery's very silently and quietly... and the only logical deduction as to what the enormous bang against the wall was just before that nearly push the wall in from John Montgomery's side... was someone king hitting Thomas Allwood with a fist or a heavy object.. making him unconscious....then carrying Thomas Allwood out the door while he was unconscious... then may be making soem more bruses on his boy and then the one fatal stab wound ... all while he was unconscious.... and then carrying the body of Thomas Allwood quietly to where he was found on Clarkson/Pyothall Roads... at about 4.45 am by passers by... 
However if one is to discount that theory and ignore the enormosu bang at 3.05 to 3.15 am coming from John Montgomery's house... and just still to what John Montgomery sated on the witness stand under oath.. that his sone Kyle Montgomery grabbed a bread knife from the kitchen draw and ran out the back door( obviously to go to try and stab Thomas Allwood or at least chase after himw ith the knife) then coming back ten minutes later with blod on the knife and admitting he had done something bad... and John Montgomery not asking any more questions and calmly oputting the knife woth the blood on it back into the draw... having one more drink,,, the son leave the house and he falls asleep on the lounge...and is woken uop at about 5am by the police arresting him... so why didn't John Montgomery, Kyle Montgomery and/or Maggie ring the police and/or an ambulance at about 2.20 am which would haved saved the life of Thomas Allwood..

http://www.lbp.police.uk/information/latest_news/news_archives/2012/november_2012/man_convicted_of_thomas_allwoo.aspx

28 November 2012 15:59

A man who stabbed his victim in the chest, resulting in his death has today been convicted.

At the High Court in Livingston today, Kyle Montgomery was found guilty of culpable homicide after killing 56-year-old Thomas Graham Allwood during a disturbance in Broxburn in the early hours of Thursday 21st June.

Members of the public found Mr Allwood's body in Clarkson Road and alerted police who launched a major investigation to identify his killer.

Detectives quickly traced and arrested Montgomery and charged him in connection Mr Allwood's death.

The 24-year-old is due to be sentenced on Thursday 20th December at Edinburgh High Court.

Detective Inspector Stuart Houston, who led the investigation said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

"I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

"Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."

Thomas Allwood was born in Scotland but spent most of his life in Australia

First offender Kyle Montgomery will be sentenced next month for the killing



http://www.s1broxburn.com/news/broxburn-killer-montgomery-convicted--1.html

Broxburn killer Montgomery convicted

by Rebecca GarrettWednesday, 28 November 2012

The monster who stabbed Thomas Graham Allwood in the chest in Broxburn, which resulted in his death, has been convicted.

Kyle Montgomery was found guilty of culpable homicide the High Court in Livingston. He killed 56-year-old Allwood during a disturbance in the early hours of Thursday, June 21.

Members of the public found Mr Allwood's body in the Clarkson Road/Pyothall Road area and alerted police. A major investigation to identify his killer was launched.

Detectives quickly traced and arrested Montgomery and charged him in connection Mr Allwood's death. 

The 24-year-old is due to be sentenced on Thursday, December 20 at Edinburgh High Court.

Detective Inspector Stuart Houston, who led the investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

"I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

"Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-20526345

28 November 2012

Kyle Montgomery found guilty of killing journalist Thomas Allwood

A man who stabbed a journalist to death in West Lothian has been convicted of culpable homicide.

Kyle Montgomery, from Winchburgh, denied murdering 56-year-old Thomas Allwood in Broxburn in June.

A jury at the High Court in Livingston took four-and-a-half hours to find the 24-year-old guilty of the lesser charge.

Sentence was deferred until 20 December at the High Court in Edinburgh for background reports.

Montgomery had said he grabbed a knife to scare off Mr Allwood after claiming he was attacked by him at a house in Broxburn.

He said the killing was an accident and that he did not know the blade had sliced through the victim's chest and severed a major artery during the struggle.

After the attack, Mr Allwood, who was a journalist with the Australian-based INL News Group, was found on Clarkson Road by members of the public.

Police who were called to the scene followed a trail of blood from his body to Montgomery's father house.

They found the knife, still bloodstained, in a cutlery drawer. Montgomery was detained as he returned to the house from a nearby shop.

Mr Allwood was born in Scotland but his family emigrated to Australia when he was a baby and he spent most of his life there.

He was involved in producing a TV show called Fringe Shows Have Talent, to showcase entertainers performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Det Insp Stuart Houston, who led the Lothian and Borders Police investigation, said: "It is my sincere hope, that following today's verdict Mr Allwood's family can begin to move on with their lives and put this horrendous ordeal behind them.

"I would also like to thank the members of the community who came forward and assisted with this investigation.

"Lothian and Borders Police are committed to tackling violent crime and by working closely with our partners at the Crown Office, ensure that offences of this nature are investigated thoroughly and those responsible are removed from our communities."

http://local.stv.tv/edinburgh/203156-killer-who-stabbed-man-to-death-had-bloody-knife-in-cutlery-drawer/

Killer who stabbed man to death had bloody knife in cutlery drawer

STV 28 November 2012 16:45 GMT

Associated Press/Carolyn Kaster, File - FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2012, file photo, President Barack Obama acknowledges House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio while speaking to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, as he hosted a meeting of the bipartisan, bicameral leadership of Congress to discuss the deficit and economy. Admnistration officials say President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner met Sunda, Dec. 9, 2012, at the White House to discuss the ongoing negotiations over the impeding "fiscal cliff." Spokesmen for both Obama and Boehner said the two men agreed to not release details of the conversation, but emphasized that the lines of communication remain open. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Stock market is a wild card in fiscal cliff talks

By By CHARLES BABINGTON | Associated Press 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress and the White House can significantly soften the initial impact of the "fiscal cliff" even if they fail to reach a compromise by Dec. 31. One thing they cannot control, however, is the financial markets' reaction, which possibly could be a panicky sell-off that triggers economic reversals worldwide.

The stock market's unpredictability is perhaps the biggest wild card in the political showdown over the fiscal cliff.

President Barack Obama's re-election gives him a strong negotiating hand, as Republicans are increasingly acknowledging. And some Democrats are willing to let the Dec. 31 deadline pass, because a rash of broad-based tax hikes would pressure Republicans to give more ground in renewed deficit-reduction negotiations.

A chief fear for Obama's supporters, however, is that Wall Street would be so disgusted or dismayed that stocks would plummet before lawmakers could prove their newfound willingness to mitigate the fiscal cliff's harshest measures, including deep, across-the-board spending cuts that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says could significantly damage the nation's military posture. SomeRepublicans believe that fear will temper the president's insistence on a hard bargain this month. Obama and GOP House Speaker John Boehner on Sunday held their first meeting between just the two of them since the election, and spokesmen for both emphasized afterward their lines of communication remain open.

The so-called cliff's recipe of major tax hikes and spending cuts can actually be a gentle slope, because the policy changes would be phased in over time. Washington insiders say Congress and the White House would move quickly in January or February to undo many, but not all, of the tax hikes and spending cuts.

Financial markets, however, respond to emotion as well as to research, reason and promises. If New Year's headlines scream "Negotiations Collapse," an emotional sell-off could threaten the president's hopes for continued economic recovery in his second term, even if Republicans receive most of the blame for the impasse.

"Nobody can predict the markets' reaction," said Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn.

Some Republicans are surprised that the White House has not made clearer efforts to reassure Wall Street that if the Dec. 31 deadline is breached, the worrisome pile of tax increases and spending cuts would not hit all at once.

A few liberal commentators are making just that case.

"If we go past the so-called fiscal cliff deadlines and all the resulting budget cuts and tax increases come into force, the administration can minimize the damage," Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne wrote last week. "Obama can publicly announce he is delaying any cuts, on the theory thatCongress will eventually vitiate some of them. And he can make sure the bond markets know of his plans well in advance. ... Everyone (especially Wall Street) should calm down."

Some financial bloggers agree. "Although it would be bad to let the spending cuts and tax hikes fully go into effect, if this thing is addressed in early January, things will be okay," wrote Business Insider's Joe Weisenthal.

So far, the stock markets have stayed calm. The S&P 500 index is up 12 percent for the year.

That might be because investors agree that a temporary trip over the cliff wouldn't be too harmful. Chastened lawmakers, the thinking goes, would quickly minimize the economic damage with a deficit-reduction compromise that eluded them in December.

Or, it's possible that investors view the most pessimistic tones surrounding the fiscal cliff talks as posturing that will give way to a last-minute deal. If that is the thinking — and if the Dec. 31 deadline instead is breached — Obama's fear might come to pass: The expectation of a deal might produce a significant decline in stock prices if it doesn't occur.

As bad as that sounds, some liberals think it will be necessary to force many Republicans to drop their opposition to higher tax rates on the wealthy that Obama says are crucial to trimming the deficit.

Rep. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat who says temporarily going over the cliff wouldn't be so bad, noted what happened on Sept. 29, 2008. The House surprised investors by rejecting a proposed bailout of the crisis-stricken financial sector. Republicans strongly opposed the plan despite then-President George W. Bush's support. The Dow plunged 777 points, its largest one-day point drop ever. Four days later the House, shaken by the market reaction, passed a slightly modified bailout bill. 

Welch said a similar market meltdown next month, in the event of a fiscal cliff impasse, "is what will force members of Congress eventually to act." Few lawmakers in either party are eager to predict how the stocks and bonds markets would react to a failure to reach a fiscal cliff accord by year's end. "Let's not pretend the markets fully understand the politicians, or the politicians fully understand the markets," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who has served in Congress for 37 years.

Follow Charles Babington on Twitter: //twitter.com/cbabington

How the 'Mayan Apocalypse' came from a New Age magic mushroom trip

The 'prophecy' does not stem from the Mayans at all. Instead, the beliefs come from two New Age books in the Seventies and Eighties, says a British academic.

Jose Arguelles, author of The Mayan Factor (Image: Wikimedia)

The so-called 'Mayan' prophecy actually comes from New Age writers in the Seventies and Eighties (Image: Rex)

People who are expecting the world to end on December 21 - the so-called 'Mayan Apocalypse' - should be in for a pleasant disappointment.

The 'prophecy' does not stem from the Mayans at all - or date from thousands of years ago.

Instead, the beliefs come from two New Age books in the Seventies and Eighties. 

The two books predict outcomes as surreal as a 'upgrade' to human consciousness predicted by a spirit from the seventh century. The date itself comes from a prophecy based on a magic mushroom trip.

“December 21st will be just another Friday morning,” said Andrew Wilson, Assistant Head of Social Studies at the University of Derby. “A hippy guru called Jose Arguelles associated the date with the Mayan calendar in a book called The Mayan Factor in 1987. But it's an obsolete form of the calendar, which had not been used since the year 1100AD.”

“He claimed to be channelling various spirits, including the spirit of a Mayan king from the seventh century. He predicted a ‘shift in human consciousness’ - mass enlightenment.”

The actual date of December 21 first appeared in an earlier work - a 1975 book by Terence McKenna,  a writer known for his descriptions of “machine elves” seen while under the influence of drugs.

The date appeared in McKenna's ‘Timeline Zero’ prophecy, and was based on McKenna’s own mathematics, the Chinese I Ching and a magic mushroom trip.

McKenna later met Arguelles and the two became, Wilson says, part of a circle of New Age authors who cited each other’s work, lending the ‘prophecy’ an air of believability.

“The significance of December 21 2012 in ‘New Age’ circles emerged from the work of ‘ethnobotanist’ Terence McKenna as he travelled deep into the Amazon in the 1970s,” says Wilson. His calculations of a ‘zero time wave’ suggested the world would go through a large change on December 21.”

“Arguelles, who had a long-held interest in Native American spiritualties, was inspired by McKenna’s work. He popularised the date in connection with the ‘long count calendar’ of the Mayan people in his new-age circles.”

As the belief has evolved, it has become associated with other, wilder predictions - such as the idea that Earth will be hit by a ‘rogue planet’, Nibiru, or swallowed by a black hole.

“There is no central belief,” says Wilson, “It varies from the ideas that Earth’s magnetic poles might shift, to the idea of a ‘galactic council’ visiting Earth. There’s no one, definite idea - it mirrors the New Age beliefs from which it comes.”

“It’s become part of a lot of religious movements. For instance, ‘The Galactic Federation of Light’ believes that ‘Planet X’ will make a close pass by the earth in 2012 – causing a deep transformation of human life on Earth.

“What this and other apocalyptic dates have in common across new religious movements is that they are often predicted to occur within a believer’s lifetime - making their beliefs urgent and important,” said Wilson.

“However, most people who believe in the significance of December 21 2012 have tempered their predictions of an apocalypse to, instead, signifying some significant change in humanity. Whether that is a change in culture or a world-wide event - most believers in an apocalypse won't be preparing for an earthly end but looking forward to an imminent transformation."

“A lot of people look to this story for reassurance - about the financial climate, or even about fears of, for instance, the Large Hadron Collider.”

“What’s been popularised is the dramatic stuff - but I am definitely still doing my Christmas shopping as normal this year.”

Wilson’s paper, ‘From Mushrooms to the Stars’, will be published by Ashgate in 2013.

Georgia details nuke black market investigations

By By DESMOND BUTLER | Associated Press

 This June 24, 2012 photo shows the Hotel L Bakuria in Batumo, Georgia, Black Sea coast near the Turkish Border. In April 2012, three men gathered in secret at the hotel to talk about a deal for radioactive material for sale. The Georgian seller offered cesium, a byproduct from nuclear reactors that terrorists can use to make a dirty bomb.But one of the Turkish men made it clear he was after something much more dangerous: Uranium, the material used to make a nuclear bomb. The two Turks and the seller businessman Soslan Oniani, were convicted in  September, 2012 in a Georgian court, according to officials, and sentenced to six years in prison each. Despite years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent in the fight against illicit sale of nuclear contraband, the black market remain active in the countries around the former Soviet Union. (AP Photo by Desmond Butler)

This undated handout photo provided by the Georgia Interior Ministry shows components for four cylinders containing radioactive substances seized in Batumi, Georgia on April 10, 2012. Police, who have been tracking Georgian Businessman Soslan Oniani, for over  year, monitored him in a hotel room meeting with two Turskish citizens, trying to sell to sell the cylinders with the materials which included cesium-137 and strontium-90. The two Turks and the seller, Oniani, were convicted were convicted in  September, 2012 in a Georgian court, according to officials, and sentenced to six years in prison each.