Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Tell the World - 8964 □

Tiananmen Square Massacre: A Soldier's Perspective - ABC Aus > .


The Tiananmen Square protests, known in China as the June Fourth Incident, or 8964, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government declared martial law on the night of 3 June and deployed troops to occupy the square in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement, the Tiananmen Square Incident, or the Tiananmen uprising.

The protests were precipitated by the death of pro-reform Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989 amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China, reflecting anxieties among the people and political elite about the country's future. ... As the protests developed, the authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership. By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanized support around the country for the demonstrators, and the protests spread to some 400 cities. In response, the State Council declared martial law on May 20 and on June 2, the CCP's Politburo Standing Committee made the decision to use military force to clear the square, leading to clashes between the military and demonstrators. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded. The vast majority of those killed were civilians, though a small number of soldiers were also killed.

The event had both short and long term consequences. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China, and various Western media outlets labeled the crackdown a "massacre". In the aftermath of the protests, the Chinese government suppressed other protests around China, carried out mass arrests of protesters which catalyzed Operation Yellowbird, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic and foreign affiliated press, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. The government also invested heavily into creating more effective police riot control units. More broadly, the suppression ended the political reforms begun in 1986 and halted the policies of liberalization of the 1980s, which were only partly resumed after Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour in 1992. Considered a watershed event, reaction to the protests set limits on political expression in China that have lasted up to the present day. The events remain one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Greenland

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Why did Agent Orange want to buy Greenland? - VisPol > .
24-4-20 Canadian Defense Spending is a Joke | Solutions? - Waro > .
24-2-16 Why Russia is Invading the Arctic (why it matters) - Icarus > .
23-7-23 Arctic is heating fast! - Just > . Arctic Straits > .
23-7-21 Canada’s Arctic Patrol Ships Will Secure the Northern Frontier - USNI > .
22-11-25 Race for the Arctic is ramping up - DW Planet A > .
Why Greenland Is So Valuable - OBF > .
Battle of Rare Earth Elements. Greenland Independence? - gtbt > .
Why does Denmark Own Greenland? - HiMa > .


Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat; Grønland) is the world's largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the colonial powers) for more than a millennium, beginning in 986. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Canada, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.

Today, the population is concentrated mainly on the southwest coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely populated. Greenland is divided into five municipalitiesSermersooq, Kujalleq, Qeqertalik, Qeqqata, and Avannaata. It has two unincorporated areas – the Northeast Greenland National Park and the Thule Air Base. The latter, while under Danish control, is administered by the United States Air Force. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered by the only permanent ice sheet outside of Antarctica. With a population of 56,081 (2020), it is the least densely populated region in the world. About a third of the population lives in Nuuk, the capital and largest city; the second-largest city in terms of population is Sisimiut, 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of Nuuk. The Arctic Umiaq Line ferry acts as a lifeline for western Greenland, connecting the various cities and settlements.

Greenland has been inhabited at intervals over at least the last 4,500 years by Arctic peoples whose forebears migrated there from what is now CanadaNorsemen settled the uninhabited southern part of Greenland beginning in the 10th century, having previously settled Iceland. These Norsemen later set sail from Greenland and Iceland, with Leif Erikson becoming the first known European to reach North America nearly 500 years before Columbus reached the Caribbean islands. Inuit peoples arrived in the 13th century. Though under continuous influence of Norway and Norwegians, Greenland was not formally under the Norwegian crown until 1261. The Norse colonies disappeared in the late 15th century after Norway was hit by the Black Death and entered a severe decline. Soon after their demise, beginning in 1499, the Portuguese briefly explored and claimed the island, naming it Terra do Lavrador (later applied to Labrador in Canada).

In the early 17th century, Danish explorers reached Greenland again. To strengthen trading and power, Denmark–Norway affirmed sovereignty over the island. Because of Norway's weak status, it lost sovereignty over Greenland in 1814 when the union was dissolved. Greenland became Danish in 1814 and was fully integrated in Denmark in 1953 organised in the Danish constitution. With the Constitution of 1953, the people in Greenland became citizens of Denmark. From 1961 Greenland joined the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which Denmark joined as a founding member of the EFTA in 1960, but its membership ceased with effect from 1973 when Denmark joined the European Communities. In 1973, Greenland joined the European Economic Community (EEC) with Denmark. However, in a referendum in 1982, a majority of the population voted for Greenland to withdraw from the EEC. This was effected in 1985, changing Greenland to an OCT (Overseas Countries and Territories) associated with the EEC, now the European Union (EU). The associated relationship with the EU also means that all Greenlandic nationals (OCT-nationals) are EU citizens.

Greenland contains the world's largest and northernmost national park, Northeast Greenland National Park (Kalaallit Nunaanni nuna eqqissisimatitaq). Established in 1974 and expanded to its present size in 1988, it protects 972,001 square kilometres (375,292 sq mi) of the interior and northeastern coast of Greenland and is bigger than all but twenty-nine countries in the world.

In 1979, Denmark granted home rule to Greenland; in 2008, Greenlanders voted in favour of the Self-Government Act, which transferred more power from the Danish government to the local Greenlandic government. Under the new structure, Greenland has gradually assumed responsibility for policing, the judicial system, company law, accounting, auditing, mineral resource activities, aviation, law of legal capacity, family law and succession law, aliens and border controls, the working environment, and financial regulation and supervision. The Danish government still retains control of monetary policy and foreign affairs including defence. It also provided an initial annual subsidy of DKK 3.4 billion, and to diminish gradually over time. Greenland expects to grow its economy based on increased income from the extraction of natural resources. The capital, Nuuk, held the 2016 Arctic Winter Games. At 70%, Greenland has one of the highest shares of renewable energy in the world, mostly coming from hydropower.

Monday, April 8, 2024

United Nations Declaration 1942-1-1

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On 1 January 1942 the Declaration by the United Nations was agreed and signed by the
representatives of four major Allied nations during the Second World War.

The original signatories – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the USSR’s Ambassador to the US Maxim Litvinov, and Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs T. V. Soong – were joined the next day by a further 24 nations.

Having been drafted by Churchill, Roosevelt, and Roosevelt’s aide Harry Hopkins, the short declaration was linked to acceptance of the principles of the Atlantic Charter of 1941. The document also provided a foundation for the later establishment of the UN itself, but was firmly rooted in the political and military situation of the time. All signatories agreed to apply themselves fully to ‘a common struggle against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world’. Referring to these forces under the umbrella term ‘Hitlerism’, it is clear that the Allied leaders did not differentiate between the different regimes against which they were fighting.

The declaration also presented the intended conclusion of the war. Rather than accept an armistice as had happened at the conclusion of the First World War, the signatories agreed that ‘complete victory over their enemies is essential’. This meant that the Allies would only accept the unconditional surrender of their enemies. Furthermore, they agreed to cooperate with every other signatory in the ongoing war and therefore not pursue a separate peace for their own nation’s advantage.

By the time the war ended in 1945, a further 21 countries had signed the declaration.

The Declaration by United Nations was the main treaty that formalized the Allies of World War 2 and was signed by 47 national governments between 1942 and 1945. On 1 January 1942, during the Arcadia Conference, the Allied "Big Four"—the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China—signed a short document which later came to be known as the United Nations Declaration, and the next day the representatives of 22 other nations added their signatures.

The other original signatories in the next day (2 January 1942) were the four dominions of the British Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa); eight European governments-in-exile (Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Yugoslavia); nine countries in the Americas (Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama); and one non-independent government, the British-appointed government of India.

The Declaration by United Nations became the basis of the United Nations (UN), which was formalized in the UN Charter, signed by 50 countries on 26 June 1945.

Sunday, December 26, 2021

China-Iran Deal - Geopolitics of Indebtedness

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Iran Military ..

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Duterte vs Xi & USA

21-9-24 Duterte will keep distance from China, won't embrace the U.S.A. | Digging > .
> Philippines >>  > HPh - Philippines >>
23-10-23 Xina's Threats Pushing Philippines Closer to US - WSJ > .
23-2-22 US Bases & Philippine Fight Against Xina - T&P > .
22-10-20 U.S. vs. China: Djibouti, Military Bases, Ports, Global Reach | WSJ > .
22-10-1 Xina Battles US [Aus] for Control of Pacific Islands - Uncensored > .
22-5-12 The Philippines - China's New Province - laowhy86 > .

◊ Indo-Pacific ..

21-9-19, Philippine’s boxer turned politician Manny Pacquiao, announced that he will run for the country’s upcoming presidential elections. He said at his nomination ceremony that the time had come to challenge the leadership. Pacquiao has been a staunch critic of the incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte and has lambasted him for his close ties with China. 

In the Philippines, Pacquiao is a national hero due to his humility and for hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the world’s greatest boxers. On Sunday, he asked, “For those asking what are my qualifications, have you ever experienced hunger? Have you ever experienced having nothing to eat, to borrow money from your neighbors or to wait for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao that is in front of you was molded by poverty." According to analysts, anti-poverty and anti-corruption measures are expected to make the majority of Pacquiao’s election manifesto.

Rodrigo Duterte & daughter run for Vice Presidency| Dynasty Politics in Philippines > .


Sara Duterte, the eldest daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, is to run for vice-president in next year's elections. The move ends months of speculation about whether she was planning to run in the polls. She had been widely expected to bid to succeed her father, who cannot stand for another term as president. Sara Duterte, who is mayor of the major city of Davao, led opinion polls all year as the top presidential candidate. She has joined a new political party (Lakas-CMD) headed by former President Gloria Arroyo, replacing another candidate who had withdrawn.

In the Philippines, the president and vice-president are elected separately.

Shortly after filing her candidacy, she was picked as the running mate for Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the late Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who is running as president.

Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (May 31, 1978), commonly known as Inday Sara, is a Filipina lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Davao City since 2016, and previously from 2010 to 2013. Prior to her mayoral term, she served as vice mayor of Davao City from 2007 to 2010. She is the daughter of Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Solomon Islands

22-9-24 Xina's and Australia’s power plays in the Pacific - Caspian > .
25-2-10 [X vs NZ in Cook Islands] - Update >
24-6-20 [Nauru's Post-Guano Collapse] - OBF > .
24-4-12 Superpowers watching the Solomon Islands election | ABC Aus > .
23-12-3 Xina and West in battle for control of $olomon Islands | 60 Min > .
23-11-24 Xina’s ploy to buy heart of Pacific | ABC Aus > .
23-10-23 Xina's Threats Pushing Philippines Closer to US - WSJ > .
23-10-20 Xina's PLAN Expansion vs USN's Hegemony - gtbt > . skip > .
23-8-1 Australian Security: X-T conflict could erupt ‘on accident’ | Treverton > .
23-7-29 Ream, Hambantota, Tonga Naval Bases; Australia - Focus > .
23-7-28 PLAN's Indo-Pacific Bases - Ream, Hambantota, Tonga, Solomons - Focus > .
23-4-16 Xina wants Solomon Islands - Suidani vs Corrupt Sogavare - Unc > .
23-4-7 Solomon: Anti-X Malaita ex-Premier Daniel Suidani banned > .
23-1-11 Xinese Warships Spotted in South Pacific - Focus > .
22-11-27 Dragon's Claw: Xina's Next 10 Years - Kamome > . skip > .
22-11-11 Fortress Xina - Xi's Plans for World Domination - laowhy86 > .
22-10-24 Xi's [Probably Unachievable] Goals - Digging > . 
22-10-10 Coming Conflict with Xina | Michael Beckley > . full > .
22-8-26 How Xina wages an unseen war for strategic influence | FT > .
22-7-21 Xina losing international trust, 10 Pacific nations rebuff agreement - CR > .
22-4-28 Almost 60% of Australians want Australia to be tougher on Xina > .
22-4-27 Solomon Islands: Can Xina afford a base? Taiwan safer > .
22-4-21 Xina Trying to Build a Military Base Near Australia - Unscripted > .
22-4-19 Xi Jinping Could Lose Big in the PacificChina Unscripted > .
22-4-6 Impact of Xina-Solomon Islands Pact on Australia’s security | ABC News > .
Global Threat

Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons, is a country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, to the northeast of Australia. It is directly adjacent to Papua New Guinea to the northwest, Australia to the southwest, New Caledonia and Vanuatu to the southeast, Fiji, Wallis and Futuna, and Tuvalu to the east, and Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia to the north. It has a total area of 28,896 square kilometres (11,157 sq mi), and a population of 734,887 according to the official estimates for mid 2023. Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal. The country takes its name from the wider area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (currently a part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes the Santa Cruz Islands.

In Solomon Islands, Xina built most of the venues which have allowed the capital Honiara to host the 2023 Pacific Games. But Xina and Xi Jingping are not alone. Taiwan, Australia, and the United States are all trying desperately to win Honiara’s heart. This tussle has caused panic in Taipei and Canberra, anger in Beijing and Washington, and actual violence in the Solomons.

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Arctic Chokepoints and Littorals

Alaska ..
24-7-16 (Failed) Race For The Arctic - gtbt > .24-2-16 Why Russia is Invading the Arctic (why it matters) - Icarus > .
24-2-13 Canada is Relatively Unpopulated - Different > .23-7-23 Arctic is heating fast! - Just > . Arctic Straits > .
21-10-26 Why Russia Is Rapidly Building Military Bases In The Arctic - OBF > .22-10-30 Between Two Worlds: The Bering Strait - Galilei > .
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23-7-21 Canada’s Arctic Patrol Ships Will Secure the Northern Frontier - USNI > .
Oil & Gas 
24-8-14 History & Geopolitics of Oil - gtbt > .
>> Arctic >>>
Shipbuilding Industry - Naval Gazing >> .
The Eurasian Arctic Littoral is a largely coastal component of the Eurasian mainland. A handful of Arctic Ocean islands can serve as chokepoints, and are largely controlled by the Russian Federation, though Svalbard is an archipelago controlled by Norway.

The strategic Northern Sea Route hugs the northern coast of Eurasia, providing a connection between Europe and Asia. The NSR is shorter than travel through the Suez Canal and Strait of Malacca. Chokepoints along the NSR include the Barents Sea gap between Norway and Svalbard. Bear Island lies at the midpoint, and multiple chokepoints  exist between Russian islands and archipelagos.

The Northern Sea Route is already largely in operation. Domestic Russian commerce operates year-round in a portion of the route. The remainder is open during the summer season, allowing for trade between Europe and Asia. This route boasts open waters, but relies upon additional support from the Russian Federation’s fleet of 14 nuclear-powered icebreakers. 

As part of their larger Belt and Road Initiative, China has also invested heavily in their "Polar Silk Road". This includes the construction of two additional icebreakers. 

As the Arctic melts, the NSR corridor will permit significantly larger traffic flows. By allowing Russia to achieve its centuries-old dream of holding blue water ports and subsequent access to global commerce, an Arctic route will be fundamentally transformative to the Russian economy.

Access to blue water ports and commercial routes will be fundamentally transformative to the Russian economy. The the Ob’ River, the Yeinsei, and the Lena comprise the major Siberian inland waterways opening into the Arctic. Although Siberia is the most resource rich region within the Russian Federation, extraction can prove cost prohibitive because the physical geography renders the construction of lengthy overland transportation corridors extremely difficult. Conversely, implementation of large scale river transportation from the heart of Russia to Arctic ports would dramatically lower the cost and risk of resource extraction  opening this traditional backwater to global commerce. Increasing commerce and infrastructure could attract a population boom. In addition, landlocked, but resource-rich Kazakhstan and Mongolia could gain access to these inland waterways and Arctic ports.

The seafloor comprises the final economically important region of the Arctic — with potential fishing rights, crude oil, and other mineral resources at stake.     
Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessels: Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels are warships of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) built within the Government of Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. In July 2007 the federal government announced plans for acquiring six to eight icebreaking warships for the RCN.

The vessels are modelled on the Norwegian Coast Guard NoCGV Svalbard and as of 2007 were projected to cost CA$3.5 billion to construct with a total project procurement budgeted to cost $4.3 billion in order to cover maintenance over the 25-year lifespan of the vessels. In 2018 it was reported that the cost of the first six ships had increased by $810 million over previous projections. In 2023 it was reported that the cost for the first six ships had increased by a further $780 million and that of the two envisaged vessels for the Coast Guard by an additional $100 million.

The lead ship of the class was announced as Harry DeWolf in September 2014, and four additional ships were named in 2015. Construction of the ships Harry DeWolf and Margaret Brooke started at the Halifax Shipyards in September 2015 and September 2016, respectively. Harry DeWolf and Margaret Brooke were originally planned to be delivered in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Harry DeWolf was officially launched on 15 September 2018. Margaret Brooke was launched on 10 November 2019. Max Bernays began construction in December 2017 and William Hall was also planned to begin in 2017, although construction was delayed to early 2019. Max Bernays was launched in October 2021, and was followed by William Hall in 2022. Frédérick Rolette was scheduled to begin construction in 2019, with construction on Robert Hampton Gray expected to begin in 2021. They were originally planned to be completed by 2022 and 2023, respectively. However, in 2020 it was confirmed that ships five and six (Frédérick Rolette and Robert Hampton Gray) would not begin construction until 2021 and 2022 respectively.

On 22 May 2019, an official announcement was made to begin the process of building two vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, bringing the total number of ships in the class to eight
                      

Saturday, March 20, 2021

Inland Waterways

23-9-4 Rivers Make America Rich - Versed > .
24-12-3 Mississippi Floods & Droughts - America's Geographic Flaw - Map Pack > .
24-4-3 Maritime Chokepoints: Panama Canal, Red Sea & Baltimore - Shipping > .

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States federal statute that provides for the promotion and maintenance of the American merchant marine. Among other purposes, the law regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act is known as the Jones Act and deals with cabotage (coastwise trade). It requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on ships that have been constructed in the United States and that fly the U.S. flag, are owned by U.S. citizens, and are crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The act was introduced by Senator Wesley Jones. The law also defines certain seaman's rights.

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 has been revised a number of times; the most recent revision in 2006 included recodification in the U.S. Code.

Many economists and other experts have argued for its repeal, while military and U.S. Department of Commerce officials have spoken in favor of the law on protectionist grounds. The Act reduces domestic trade via waterways (relative to other forms of trade) and increases consumer prices.

The Jones Act is not to be confused with: the Death on the High Seas Act (another U.S. maritime law that does not apply to coastal and in-land navigable waters), or the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 (which regulates passenger vessels, including cruise ships).

The Jones Act: A Burden America Can No Longer Bear c

Monday, February 8, 2021

UAVs

2021- 5 Demand For Armed-Drones (UAVs) Is Surging - CNBC > .
> DEWs - Directed Energy Weapons >
23-9-24 Combat Drones & Future Air Warfare - Humans + Wingman - Perun > .
23-8-6 Turkish Strategy & R-U War - Arms, Drones, Economics - Perun > . skip > .
23-7-26 Ukraine tech sector goes to war | FT Doc > .
23-6-30 Directed Energy Weapons - Lasers vs Drones, Missiles - T&P > .
23-6-13 NATO IAMD | NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence > .
23-6-13 Drones and the Dystopian Future of War - Journeyman > .
23-6-11 Rocket Roulette: Ruscia uses drones & missiles against Ukraine - U24 > .
23-6-7 Ukrainian Defense Tech Boom - War Startups - U24 > .
23-2-12 Small Drones & Loitering Munitions - Cheap Precision - Perun > .
22-11-16 Taiwan Pushes Drone Warfare to Counter Xina - Uncensored > .
22-11-11 Economics of Kamikaze Drones - nwyt > . skip > .
22-10-27 Pooti's [Desperate] Iranian Drones | Peter Zeihan, Ben Hodges > .
22-3-29 Military Drones; Decisive Factor in Russia-Ukraine war | DW > .
2013 Rise of the Drones (FULL doc) | NOVA | PBS > .
> Future Combat >>  >> Future >>>


UAVs include both autonomous (capable of operating without human input) drones and remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs). A UAV is capable of controlled, sustained level flight and is powered by a jet, reciprocating, or electric engine. In the twenty first century technology reached a point of sophistication that the UAV is now being given a greatly expanded role in many areas of aviation.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or uncrewed aerial vehicle, commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which include additionally a ground-based controller and a system of communications with the UAV. The flight of UAVs may operate under remote control by a human operator ― remotely-piloted aircraft (RPA) ― or with various degrees of autonomy, such as autopilot assistance, up to fully autonomous aircraft that does not allow human intervention.

Compared to crewed aircraft, UAVs were originally used for missions too "dull, dirty or dangerous" for humans. While drones originated mostly in military applications, their use is rapidly finding many more applications including aerial photography, product deliveries, agriculture, policing and surveillance, infrastructure inspections, science, smuggling, and drone racing.

A UAV differs from a cruise missile in that a UAV is intended to be recovered after its mission, while a cruise missile impacts its target. A military UAV may carry and fire munitions on board, while a cruise missile is a munition.

The earliest recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle for warfighting occurred in July 1849, serving as a balloon carrier (the precursor to the aircraft carrier) is the first offensive use of air power in naval aviation. The first pilotless aircraft were built during WW1. From a suggestion that A. M. Low’s expertise in early television and radio technology be used to develop a remotely controlled pilotless aircraft to attack the Zeppelins a remarkable succession of British drone weapons in 1917 and 1918 evolved. After WW1, three Standard E-1s were converted to drones. The Larynx was an early cruise missile in the form of a small monoplane aircraft that could be launched from a warship and flown under autopilot; it was tested 1927-9 by the Royal Navy. The early successes of pilotless aircraft led to the development of radio controlled pilotless target aircraft in Britain and the US in the 1930s. In 1931, the British developed the Fairey Queen radio-controlled target from the Fairey IIIF floatplane, building a small batch of three, and in 1935 followed up this experiment by producing larger numbers of another RC target, the "DH.82B Queen Bee", derived from the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainer.

The attitude towards UAVs, which were often seen as unreliable and expensive toys, changed dramatically with the Israeli Air Force’s victory over the Syrian Air Force in 1982. Israel’s coordinated use of UAVs alongside manned aircraft allowed the state to quickly destroy dozens of Syrian aircraft with minimal losses. Israeli drones were used as electronic decoys, electronic jammers as well as for real time video reconnaissance.

The US military is entering a new era in which UAVs will be critical to SIGINT payloads, or Electronic countermeasures systems should be in widespread use following 2010, with the UAVs controlled and relaying data back over high-bandwidth data links in real time, linked to ground, air, sea, and space platforms. The trend had been emerging before the American war in Afghanistan began in 2001, but was greatly accelerated by the use of UAVs in that conflict. The Predator RQ-1L UAV (General Atomics) was the first deployed UAV to the Balkans in 1995 Iraq in 1996 and was proved very effective in Operation Iraqi Freedom as well as Afghanistan.

Endurance UAVs for low-altitude and high-altitude operation, the latter sometimes referred to as "high-altitude long-endurance (HALE)" UAVs, are now in full service. On August 21, 1998, an AAI Aerosonde named Laima becomes the first UAV to cross the Atlantic Ocean, completing the flight in 26 hours. The idea of designing a UAV that could remain in the air for a long time has been around for decades, but only became an operational reality in the 21st century

The Government of Canada is considering the purchase of UAV's for arctic surveillance. The Canadian government wants to buy at least three high-altitude, unmanned aerial vehicles in what could be an attempt to salvage its Arctic sovereignty ambitions. The Canadian government wants to modify the existing Global Hawk drone, which can operate at 20,000 metres, to meet the rigours of flying in Canada's Far North.

Armed drones are growing in military importance as conflicts around the world have proven the utility of these effective tools of war. Demand is surging beyond the U.S. for the multibillion dollar armed-drone market. Companies in China, Turkey, and Russia, among others, have developed advanced remotely piloted aircraft that can use guided weapons on and off the battlefield. Over 100 states worldwide using military drones and that number is growing significantly. Over 20 states are using armed drones in conflicts or outside of armed conflicts.

The widespread use of drones in Iraq and Afghanistan by the United States to target and kill insurgents jump started a new chapter in the history of conflict. These high flying and remotely piloted aircraft could engage targets with impunity while the operators were safely working in a ground control station. Keeping the crews out of danger also made the drones politically cheap to use over dangerous skies. Now more and more countries are gaining this military capability for their own purposes.

Although larger and more complex drones, like the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper are not cheap to develop or operate, smaller drones are becoming more ubiquitous in conflict zones. Limiting the proliferation of these smaller drones, and the ability to weaponize them, is a regulatory nightmare for government agencies around the world.

Drones are model airplanes with great sensors. All are dual use and have been used in the civilian realm. Drones have risen enormously in the civilian realm over the last five to 10 years. Controlling their export is very difficult.

sī vīs pācem, parā bellum

igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum    therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...