PERSPECTIVE – SEND IN THE ROBOTS: COUNTER-TERRORISM RESPONSE AND EMERGING DRONE TECHNOLOGY
Articles
Fri, 11/17/2023 - 3:26pm
Perspective – Send in the Robots: Counter-Terrorism Response and Emerging Drone Technology
Zachary Kallenborn, Derrick Tin, and Gregory Ciottone
Terrorists, suicide bombers in particular, create chaos and bring death and destruction to the masses. Not only are innocent people hurt or killed, buildings and critical infrastructure will likely be damaged or destroyed. Police, firefighters, medics, and other first responders may struggle to respond when bridges and roads are compromised and saving lives means entering collapsing, contaminated buildings and potentially placing their own lives at risk. Drones are increasingly being used to help.[1] Drones are already helping map, photograph, and assess damaged infrastructure after terror attacks and other disasters.[2] If a building collapses and a first responder dies, that might be someone’s son, daughter, mom, dad, sister, brother, or just friend. But if a drone is destroyed, only the accountants cry.
Drones CT
A Burkinabe soldier retrieves a video drone during counterterrorism Exercise Flintlock 2019 in Burkina Faso on 24 February 2019.Source: DVIDS, Public Domain.
The opportunities to use drones for terrorism preparedness and response are growing. Researchers are excitedly improving sensor processing, expanding use to new domains, enhancing autonomy, and connecting numerous drones into collaborative drone swarms. Counter-terrorism, emergency response, and homeland defense organizations writ large need to monitor these trends, identify opportunities, provide appropriate investments in technologies, and integrate great ideas into technical capabilities, training, doctrine, and response planning.
1. Sensor processing
Drones are increasingly equipped with multiple types of sensors to include electro-optical, infrared, and light detection and ranging (Lidar). Multispectral imaging provides disaster responders with greater situational awareness to characterize a disaster area, identify survivors after a terrorist attack, and conduct triage to better meet the needs of those survivors. Multispectral imaging could also help collect additional data about an incoming natural hazard and conduct safety inspections to support preparedness efforts, while advances in artificial intelligence can assist in processing and analyzing sensor data for improved prediction of national disaster occurrence, more precise damage assessment, or more effective searches for survivors.[3][4][5][6]
https://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/perspective-send-robots-counter-terrorism-response-and-emerging-drone-technology
