--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts…" description: "\"Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military history: never have so few killed so many b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png" --- # Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest… ![“Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military history: never have so few killed so many by remote control.” quote by Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png) > “Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military history: never have so few killed so many by remote control.” [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the paradox of modern warfare: a small number of operators cause massive casualties remotely, raising ethical concerns about distance and accountability. **In simple terms:** Remote warfare kills many with few people. Key Takeaway Recognize the moral impact of remote killing. Themes ethics warfare technology responsibility accountability Mood critical concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - policy debate - military training - public discourse - human rights advocacy Key Concepts military strategy remote control civilian impact Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect moral judgment? - What regulations could mitigate this paradox? A Different Perspective It overlooks the strategic necessity some argue drones provide. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aerial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aerial/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-history/) [Remote control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remote-control/) ## Related quotes > [Mississippi State University and other institutions are established leaders in the development and integration of unmanned aerial systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-hyde-smith/mississippi-state-university-and-other-institutions-are-established/) [Cindy Hyde-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-hyde-smith/) > [John Brennan has been the mastermind of the drone program. He's the one who'd convene the terror Tuesday meetings at the White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/john-brennan-has-been-the-mastermind-of-the-drone-program-he-s-the/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [I take my own experience and other assassinations through history and get a lot into the drone program, which doesn't work, as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baer/i-take-my-own-experience-and-other-assassinations-through-history-and/) [Robert Baer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baer/) > [The idea of aerial military surveillance dates back to the Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy used hot-air balloons to spy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-idea-of-aerial-military-surveillance-dates-back-to-the-civil-war/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Archaeologists gave the military the idea to use aerial photographs for spying and field survey. We are fortunate that the spatial and spectral resolutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/archaeologists-gave-the-military-the-idea-to-use-aerial-photographs/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Aerial perspective has nothing to do with line, but concerns tones and colours, by the delicate manipulation of which an artist can suggest infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/aerial-perspective-has-nothing-to-do-with-line-but-concerns-tones-and/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Archaeologists have used aerial photographs to map archaeological sites since the 1920s, while the use of infrared photography started in the 1960s, and satellite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/archaeologists-have-used-aerial-photographs-to-map-archaeological/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Aerial flight is one of that class of problems with which man will never be able to cope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-newcomb/aerial-flight-is-one-of-that-class-of-problems-with-which-man-will/) [Simon Newcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-newcomb/) > [Aerial flight is one of that class of problems with which men will never have to cope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-newcomb/aerial-flight-is-one-of-that-class-of-problems-with-which-men-will/) [Simon Newcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-newcomb/) > [“In the olden days it was easy to make a television work.You plugged an aerial cable into the back, then bashed the top with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/in-the-olden-days-it-was-easy-to-make-a-television-work-you-plugged/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [I like flashy techniques like jumping, aerial techniques. But I also like submissions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-like-flashy-techniques-like-jumping-aerial-techniques-but-i-also/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > [I give my grandfather, Dr Harold Young, a forestry Professor at the University of Maine, full credit for my career path. He pioneered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/i-give-my-grandfather-dr-harold-young-a-forestry-professor-at-the/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Drones ply the liminal space between the physical and the digital - pilots fly them, but aren't in them. They are versatile and fascinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/drones-ply-the-liminal-space-between-the-physical-and-the-digital/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [Bright, white coming alive jumping off of the aerial All the time it's a changing, like now...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/bright-white-coming-alive-jumping-off-of-the-aerial-all-the-time-it-s/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [Our nano-quadrotor robots are made to be as lightweight as possible: less than a fifth of a pound and palm-sized. They can do an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-kumar/our-nano-quadrotor-robots-are-made-to-be-as-lightweight-as-possible/) [Vijay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-kumar/) ## More by Michael Hastings > [I have a deep-seated skepticism about the morality of violence. Violence is almost always morally corrosive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-have-a-deep-seated-skepticism-about-the-morality-of-violence/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The humanitarian argument is so selective I find it difficult to swallow. It's not even so much about the choice as to where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-humanitarian-argument-is-so-selective-i-find-it-difficult-to/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If Bill O'Reilly is calling you a far-left critic, in my book, no matter what your political persuasion is, that's probably - that probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-bill-o-reilly-is-calling-you-a-far-left-critic-in-my-book-no/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [I'm post-cynical on this stuff. I look at the El Salvador model as the glory days: Why don't we just fund the death squads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/i-m-post-cynical-on-this-stuff-i-look-at-the-el-salvador-model-as-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Whether or not Afghanistan would be a peaceful nation-state had we not gone into Iraq I doubt. Afghanistan is going to be Afghanistan, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/whether-or-not-afghanistan-would-be-a-peaceful-nation-state-had-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [One of their major initiatives was getting all officers on Facebook. So the question is, why are these people who are there to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/one-of-their-major-initiatives-was-getting-all-officers-on-facebook/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [It was interesting watching the Afghanistan war review deliberations, this three-month process where Barack Obama did the most thorough foreign policy review ever by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/it-was-interesting-watching-the-afghanistan-war-review-deliberations/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Inside the White House there were always extreme amounts of doubt about whether they should be escalating in Afghanistan. In fact, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/inside-the-white-house-there-were-always-extreme-amounts-of-doubt/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The State Department is essentially... I was going to use the word useless. But I don't know if that's correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-state-department-is-essentially-i-was-going-to-use-the-word/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If someone tells you something is off the record, I don't print it. If they don't tell me something is off the record, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-someone-tells-you-something-is-off-the-record-i-don-t-print-it-if/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [If you polled the military in Afghanistan as to how many think we should be there or not, the numbers would probably be similar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/if-you-polled-the-military-in-afghanistan-as-to-how-many-think-we/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [Afghanistan would have been difficult enough without Iraq. Iraq made it impossible. The argument that had we just focused on Afghanistan we'd now be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/afghanistan-would-have-been-difficult-enough-without-iraq-iraq-made/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“Her name has been released to the press. Her photograph is released, too. I want to talk to the press about it. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/her-name-has-been-released-to-the-press-her-photograph-is-released/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [The frightening aspect is that it's part of a larger effort from the Pentagon to tear down the wall between public affairs and propaganda,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-frightening-aspect-is-that-it-s-part-of-a-larger-effort-from-the/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [An information operations team was sent to Afghanistan to conduct various psychological operations on the Afghans and Taliban. The team was then asked not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/an-information-operations-team-was-sent-to-afghanistan-to-conduct/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) [Explore all 97 Michael Hastings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) ## More Aerial quotes > [Aerial flight is one of that class of problems with which men will never have to cope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-newcomb/aerial-flight-is-one-of-that-class-of-problems-with-which-men-will/) [Simon Newcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-newcomb/) > [I like flashy techniques like jumping, aerial techniques. But I also like submissions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/i-like-flashy-techniques-like-jumping-aerial-techniques-but-i-also/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > [Our nano-quadrotor robots are made to be as lightweight as possible: less than a fifth of a pound and palm-sized. They can do an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-kumar/our-nano-quadrotor-robots-are-made-to-be-as-lightweight-as-possible/) [Vijay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-kumar/) > [Bright, white coming alive jumping off of the aerial All the time it's a changing, like now...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/bright-white-coming-alive-jumping-off-of-the-aerial-all-the-time-it-s/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [Drones ply the liminal space between the physical and the digital - pilots fly them, but aren't in them. They are versatile and fascinating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/drones-ply-the-liminal-space-between-the-physical-and-the-digital/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [I give my grandfather, Dr Harold Young, a forestry Professor at the University of Maine, full credit for my career path. He pioneered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/i-give-my-grandfather-dr-harold-young-a-forestry-professor-at-the/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [The idea of aerial military surveillance dates back to the Civil War, when both the Union and the Confederacy used hot-air balloons to spy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/the-idea-of-aerial-military-surveillance-dates-back-to-the-civil-war/) [Michael Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/) > [“In the olden days it was easy to make a television work.You plugged an aerial cable into the back, then bashed the top with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/in-the-olden-days-it-was-easy-to-make-a-television-work-you-plugged/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [Aerial flight is one of that class of problems with which man will never be able to cope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-newcomb/aerial-flight-is-one-of-that-class-of-problems-with-which-man-will/) [Simon Newcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-newcomb/) > [Archaeologists have used aerial photographs to map archaeological sites since the 1920s, while the use of infrared photography started in the 1960s, and satellite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/archaeologists-have-used-aerial-photographs-to-map-archaeological/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [Aerial perspective has nothing to do with line, but concerns tones and colours, by the delicate manipulation of which an artist can suggest infinite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/aerial-perspective-has-nothing-to-do-with-line-but-concerns-tones-and/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Archaeologists gave the military the idea to use aerial photographs for spying and field survey. We are fortunate that the spatial and spectral resolutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/archaeologists-gave-the-military-the-idea-to-use-aerial-photographs/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) > [U.S. Government propaganda tries to give the impression that aerial bombardment achieves near-surgical accuracy, so that military targets can be destroyed with minimal effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/u-s-government-propaganda-tries-to-give-the-impression-that-aerial/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Poetry has roots, and sometimes they are aerial. Sometimes they are buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/poetry-has-roots-and-sometimes-they-are-aerial-sometimes-they-are/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Now in the 1980s, I happened to notice that if you look at an aerial photograph of an African village, you see fractals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-eglash/now-in-the-1980s-i-happened-to-notice-that-if-you-look-at-an-aerial/) [Ron Eglash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-eglash/) [Browse all 26 Aerial quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aerial/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military history: never have so few killed so many by remote control.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Hastings" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to-the-largest-unmanned-aerial/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aerial" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to-the-largest-unmanned-aerial/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a51/michael-hastings-6810_aerial_obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to_2573096.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts to the largest unmanned aerial offensive ever conducted in military…” — Michael Hastings", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michael Hastings", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hastings/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obama's drone program, in fact, amounts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to-the-largest-unmanned-aerial/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hastings/obama-s-drone-program-in-fact-amounts-to-the-largest-unmanned-aerial/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```