US Military to Increase Drone Flights Globally - Is this the first strike option, would you agree?

I like this. It can give us a lot of variable intel right away. And if a target of opportunity presents itself then it can be taken out right away. In the age were asymmetric warfare is reeking havoc on conventional forces we can counter with drones. We won't have a target for them to attack but we will be able strike at will. I don't think this will replace boots on ground but it will save many.

I think we will always need boots on the ground and the fact that these pilots set thousand miles away and get orders from Higher and don't have all the detail. Even actual Pilots cant see at 30 000 feet what the hell is going on. They gotta go down and if the drone do that you have lost the element of surprise and possibly pissed off yet another country because we sure as hell don't want to piss someone off and make them not like us!

Contractors releasing munitions, this would be a huge issue if they were authorized to drop munitions. Contractors are not subject to UCMJ unlike DoD civilians, but the article states they wouldn't be flying armed drones. A large portion of our ISR assets include contractors as is (especially manned assets). Contractors flying 10 missions a day is a logical step. Some people might complain about the cost of a contractor versus a service member but you have to keep in mind a few simple things...contractors don't count against active duty numbers, they draw no government health benefits or retirement, and for jobs like this, they are often way more qualified than the personnel the military would normally toss into those positions.