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Unmanned: Drones, Data, and the Illusion of Perfect Warfare
Unmanned is an in-depth examination of why seemingly successful wars never seem to end. The problem centers on drones, now accumulated in the thousands, the front end of a spying and killing machine that is disconnected from either security or safety.
Drones, however, are only part of the problem. William Arkin shows that security is actually undermined by an impulse to gather as much data as possible, the appetite and the theory both skewed towards the notion that no amount is too much. And yet the very endeavor of putting fewer human in potential danger places everyone in greater danger. Wars officially end, but the Data Machine lives on forever.
Throughout his career, Arkin has exposed powerful secrets of so-called national security and intelligence. Now he continues that tradition. The most alarming book about warfare in years, Unmanned is essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of mankind.
Drones, however, are only part of the problem. William Arkin shows that security is actually undermined by an impulse to gather as much data as possible, the appetite and the theory both skewed towards the notion that no amount is too much. And yet the very endeavor of putting fewer human in potential danger places everyone in greater danger. Wars officially end, but the Data Machine lives on forever.
Throughout his career, Arkin has exposed powerful secrets of so-called national security and intelligence. Now he continues that tradition. The most alarming book about warfare in years, Unmanned is essential reading for anyone who cares about the future of mankind.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2015
11 people are currently reading
582 people want to read
About the author
William M. Arkin
35 books23 followersWilliam M. Arkin is author, most recently of On That Day: The Definitive Timeline of 9/11 (PublicAffairs), History in One Act: A Novel of 9/11 (Featherproof Books), and The Generals Have No Clothes (Simon & Schuster). He is an Army veteran and long-time national security analyst, and other of more than a dozen other books on military affairs. He writes for Newsweek magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 3, 2015
Unmanned: Drones,Data, and the Illusion of the Perfect Warfare
4 Stars - Wow. Arkin opens all the doors in the world of drones and the changes of war they bring. The money, the Army, the Air force and Navy, the 'unlaborers' and the blackboxes, Arkin shows us a glimpse of the power and reach of The Machine and the need for the never ending need for more Data. How the history truly goes for drones, and where we may be headed. Packed with information and full of real documented events, Unmanned can open your eyes into a world that many of us can not even comprehend, but is actually flying over us. The future of Man is changing forever.
Arkin packs tons of real events and information from his vast array of sources, as well from his own experience. My mind only knew of drones from video games, and crazed media blurbs. So what Arkin does is shows us everything, from how things began and how everything has changed.
How the military is changing from 'boots on the ground' to unlaborers servicing the vast amount of information The Machine receives. How the conflict among the different departments of the military have argued over these machines, how the momentum now built by these machines is unrelenting and changing warfare. This was truly an eye opener into our future as Man, and the abilities we are gaining in terms of unlimited Data, power in our Machines and how much we really know of the powers that be. It is quite inspiring as well, knowing the power the human mind plays in building all of it.
As a Canadian, and far from an expert in anything military, I was intrigued about this book from the title. I assumed I would learn some interesting facts about the US military and some interesting 'techy' stuff. What I got after reading this was that and very much more. I do not want to ruin the book with a long review, as it is mostly fact based, with a large arsenal of backup in the notes section, as Arkin knows his facts and gives them to you on a platter ready to absorb and question. Anyone interested in drones, computers, military, etc. as well as those that just want to expand their minds into what is happening in the world we live in, then you will enjoy this book.
It is not a super easy read, as it is full of information that might be difficult for readers looking for bullet points or younger readers, however it is quite short in length, so it meets just of the middle on difficulty of a read. I went with 4 stars as parts of the middle of the book started being to dry and felt more like a textbook, however in the beginning, and more so in the end portion, you really get a bigger feel for Arkin himself and his tone as I think more of him comes through in the writing at these times. I really enjoyed the portions where I felt more emotion was coming through in his writing, because I felt more connected into the book, like he was telling me this in a more personal matter more so then giving me a textbook to read to learn from. I enjoyed his writing and will look for another of his work that sparks my attention. This man knows his stuff and has seen much of this with his own eyes, when he is not playing with the discarded explosive bombs himself(that is a very crazy story!). He has the information, he puts it in ways that are understandable and interesting to read. This book delivers in what it sets out to do, and in a beautiful way, quoting the Epic of Gilgamesh throughout, I was very surprised by this this novel, as it shows the good and the bad, and our role in it all. I and am very pleased to have read it.
I did receive an ARC for this book, however that has no sway in my review. This was a very informative read that really shows the power and reach of The Machine.
"...two IED bombers in northern Iraq were killed while lying in wait to detonate their roadside bomb the next time American soldiers passed by. The insurgents themselves were being watched by an army Hunter drone flying high overhead. Without any noise or warning, a weapon came out of the sky and killed the men. It was the first army weapon fired from one of its drones in combat, organically able to spy and kill at the same time and all on its own." - Pg 242 ARC
4 Stars - Wow. Arkin opens all the doors in the world of drones and the changes of war they bring. The money, the Army, the Air force and Navy, the 'unlaborers' and the blackboxes, Arkin shows us a glimpse of the power and reach of The Machine and the need for the never ending need for more Data. How the history truly goes for drones, and where we may be headed. Packed with information and full of real documented events, Unmanned can open your eyes into a world that many of us can not even comprehend, but is actually flying over us. The future of Man is changing forever.
Arkin packs tons of real events and information from his vast array of sources, as well from his own experience. My mind only knew of drones from video games, and crazed media blurbs. So what Arkin does is shows us everything, from how things began and how everything has changed.
How the military is changing from 'boots on the ground' to unlaborers servicing the vast amount of information The Machine receives. How the conflict among the different departments of the military have argued over these machines, how the momentum now built by these machines is unrelenting and changing warfare. This was truly an eye opener into our future as Man, and the abilities we are gaining in terms of unlimited Data, power in our Machines and how much we really know of the powers that be. It is quite inspiring as well, knowing the power the human mind plays in building all of it.
As a Canadian, and far from an expert in anything military, I was intrigued about this book from the title. I assumed I would learn some interesting facts about the US military and some interesting 'techy' stuff. What I got after reading this was that and very much more. I do not want to ruin the book with a long review, as it is mostly fact based, with a large arsenal of backup in the notes section, as Arkin knows his facts and gives them to you on a platter ready to absorb and question. Anyone interested in drones, computers, military, etc. as well as those that just want to expand their minds into what is happening in the world we live in, then you will enjoy this book.
It is not a super easy read, as it is full of information that might be difficult for readers looking for bullet points or younger readers, however it is quite short in length, so it meets just of the middle on difficulty of a read. I went with 4 stars as parts of the middle of the book started being to dry and felt more like a textbook, however in the beginning, and more so in the end portion, you really get a bigger feel for Arkin himself and his tone as I think more of him comes through in the writing at these times. I really enjoyed the portions where I felt more emotion was coming through in his writing, because I felt more connected into the book, like he was telling me this in a more personal matter more so then giving me a textbook to read to learn from. I enjoyed his writing and will look for another of his work that sparks my attention. This man knows his stuff and has seen much of this with his own eyes, when he is not playing with the discarded explosive bombs himself(that is a very crazy story!). He has the information, he puts it in ways that are understandable and interesting to read. This book delivers in what it sets out to do, and in a beautiful way, quoting the Epic of Gilgamesh throughout, I was very surprised by this this novel, as it shows the good and the bad, and our role in it all. I and am very pleased to have read it.
I did receive an ARC for this book, however that has no sway in my review. This was a very informative read that really shows the power and reach of The Machine.
"...two IED bombers in northern Iraq were killed while lying in wait to detonate their roadside bomb the next time American soldiers passed by. The insurgents themselves were being watched by an army Hunter drone flying high overhead. Without any noise or warning, a weapon came out of the sky and killed the men. It was the first army weapon fired from one of its drones in combat, organically able to spy and kill at the same time and all on its own." - Pg 242 ARC
June 18, 2015
**Received as a Goodreads giveaway**
As I read this, I kept thinking it would have worked better as an article. It's a quick read and only 290 pages sans notes, but it still felt much longer. There's far too much on the history of drone production and what they're capable of instead of how they're actually being used, which is what I felt the back cover promised.
The most engaging part was the penultimate chapter. Here, Arkin describes his purchase and use of a toy drone and looks for context and understanding of the military's Data Machine in our everyday world. Maybe this was the article I'd been looking for.
As I read this, I kept thinking it would have worked better as an article. It's a quick read and only 290 pages sans notes, but it still felt much longer. There's far too much on the history of drone production and what they're capable of instead of how they're actually being used, which is what I felt the back cover promised.
The most engaging part was the penultimate chapter. Here, Arkin describes his purchase and use of a toy drone and looks for context and understanding of the military's Data Machine in our everyday world. Maybe this was the article I'd been looking for.
June 12, 2019
I was initially discouraged by the high verbosity of the writer but eventually, I found this book a fascinating one about modern warfare and how tech is changing the world. Would avoid the last scaremongering chapter though.
November 25, 2015
Good research. Do not agree with author's analysis.
November 23, 2018
Excellent read in which the author focuses on modern ISR, specifically emphasizing “black boxes” and drones. While most chapters have an exhaustive description and history of specific platform development, I found the end of most chapters to have great thoughts for future analysis and discussion. I did find a thread of anti-Army bias emerge about half way through the book and one chapter had some pointed critiques of former SecDef Gates (of which I’m not sure I agree). Regardless, this book is full of interesting concerts for those studying modern warfare and would be good for someone in the military’s acquisition workforce or headed for a Pentagon assignment. Many great passages include:
- The significance of Scud missiles, those clumsy an inaccurate weapons of an earlier era, was that they inspired those who wished to fight the magnificent King…. None of these weapons would ever really threaten the West or directly defeat the modern military, but they would force those operating out of reach to come down to the human level or carnage and feel its effect.
- “It supports the argument that deploying a less-than-perfect system is better than deploying no system,” the think take concluded.
- In Washington things rarely get done unless they happen off the books and in the underworld. Nothing happens without top cover support of someone in a position of leadership, like a Jumper, or the outside lobbying of self-interested voices. Nothing happens unless a special organization with special authorities does it.
- This is the essence of the wars the United States now fights. Individual targets – fixed, mobile, and now even individual humans – are identified and validated and located and tracked from the ground or the sky…. In this kind of war, the strikers are more abundant than good targeting information and the data itself, like a camouflaged enemy, masks the intelligence…. The key is to have strikers on station above or in close for that moment in time.
- Within weeks of the successful invasion of the country, the army admitted to itself that Iraq was an enigma to almost all American soldiers….
- By June 2008, Gates let loose in a videoconference: “I don’t have a feel for how the fight is going!” he said. ‘I don’t think the president has a clear idea either…”
- At the decision-making apogee, the words “national” and “strategic” aren’t meant to be hierarchical or superior, but here, the pretensions hold, the big picture is located.
- The new aesthetic favored above all else is that no one puts their life at risk if a machine can do the job instead.
- … though Obama had campaigned against Bush’s ideas and approaches, he underestimated the extent to which he had inherited George W. Bush’s presidency…
- Zero civilian casualties do not equal military necessity.
- The significance of Scud missiles, those clumsy an inaccurate weapons of an earlier era, was that they inspired those who wished to fight the magnificent King…. None of these weapons would ever really threaten the West or directly defeat the modern military, but they would force those operating out of reach to come down to the human level or carnage and feel its effect.
- “It supports the argument that deploying a less-than-perfect system is better than deploying no system,” the think take concluded.
- In Washington things rarely get done unless they happen off the books and in the underworld. Nothing happens without top cover support of someone in a position of leadership, like a Jumper, or the outside lobbying of self-interested voices. Nothing happens unless a special organization with special authorities does it.
- This is the essence of the wars the United States now fights. Individual targets – fixed, mobile, and now even individual humans – are identified and validated and located and tracked from the ground or the sky…. In this kind of war, the strikers are more abundant than good targeting information and the data itself, like a camouflaged enemy, masks the intelligence…. The key is to have strikers on station above or in close for that moment in time.
- Within weeks of the successful invasion of the country, the army admitted to itself that Iraq was an enigma to almost all American soldiers….
- By June 2008, Gates let loose in a videoconference: “I don’t have a feel for how the fight is going!” he said. ‘I don’t think the president has a clear idea either…”
- At the decision-making apogee, the words “national” and “strategic” aren’t meant to be hierarchical or superior, but here, the pretensions hold, the big picture is located.
- The new aesthetic favored above all else is that no one puts their life at risk if a machine can do the job instead.
- … though Obama had campaigned against Bush’s ideas and approaches, he underestimated the extent to which he had inherited George W. Bush’s presidency…
- Zero civilian casualties do not equal military necessity.
July 17, 2025
It attempts to be profound, but many analogies don’t have the effect the author may want unless the reader is already familiar with a deep literary analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
That said, the criticism of the Department of Defense’s inability to create the necessary expertise is on par with my experience.
That said, the criticism of the Department of Defense’s inability to create the necessary expertise is on par with my experience.
June 29, 2019
A fascinating read. A bit technical in parts but nonetheless informative and interesting.
February 18, 2020
I had a lengthy review written here before finally pushing through the book, those thoughts would muddy my thinking on the book as much as the book itself does for the reader. Those long notes, which seem foreign to thinking of the book at its conclusion, is UNMANNED in a nutshell. Arkin's UNAMMED: DRONES, DATA, AND THE ILLUSION OF PERFECT WARFARE, is part history, part literary essay (that never quite finds any footing), part societal criticism, part personal commentary. This book took me six months to read.
The first half of the book is almost entirely history, with a constant contradictory stance on whether or not Drone Warfare and our ability to garner so much data is providing anything tangible, useful, military advantageous and if so at what cost. Often Arkin will argue on the austere detachment of murder 7,000 miles away at 10,000 feet in the hands of a gamer. Just as often he'll argue the great benefit of precision strikes in saving civilian lives and the potential for future peace because the terrorist was killed without blowing up the entire village. All the subject matter covered in his overview of the history of drone warfare is interesting, and would have stayed that way had his ideas not drifted onto who's running the drones, digital natives, responsiveness of Government, executive power, the military industrial complex, the changing nature of warfare, etc,.
UNMANNED is like its subject matter: complex, unchained, bogged in quagmire, high speed, low drag, but ultimately without objective. Arkin clearly has a fast mind full of ideas. His best ideas would have made a great essay that can be summarized by saying, 'for all the benefit of drones in their ability to prevent mass destruction, intolerable civilian deaths, and prevent World War style military necessities, they are unmanned.' UNMANNED's best insight is that for all the benevolence that can be gained from automation and data, when that data is both the objective and the solution it becomes inhuman and possible inhumane.
The final chapters of UNMANNED, from "oh, Obama got elected", onward are surprisingly entertaining and focused. The early chapters focusing on the history of drones could have added to this if they forfeited the running commentary of lecture. The middle chapters which take a more detailed look into just how much military drone technology has become self-propagating, micro, and robust -- 6lb missiles, nano-drones, drones that can see across the light and heat spectrum and recognize human faces, drones that take pictures and video at billions of pixels of resolution -- are stymied by its regurgitation. Again, a great essay that if it included the interesting controversies, failures, and successes of drone warfare, combined by the military industrial complex in and of itself drones have become, followed by the ultimate point that we are lacking the soul searching in this high speed history in large part by its soullessness, would have made an entertaining and informative read. All of this could have been organized around the books best chapter "pattern of life" where Arkin gets himself a drone and tells personal stories that don't turn into stream of consciousness style noise on all things IT and Military. Instead, Arkin addresses all of these matters but weighs them down with tentative suggestions and apologetic pontificatation.
However, Arkin seemed so informed and concerned about their subject matter that I wanted to hear his point -- I'm glad, in the end there was a point, unlike the vast data collection of all our new tools Arkin is rightfully skeptical of.
The first half of the book is almost entirely history, with a constant contradictory stance on whether or not Drone Warfare and our ability to garner so much data is providing anything tangible, useful, military advantageous and if so at what cost. Often Arkin will argue on the austere detachment of murder 7,000 miles away at 10,000 feet in the hands of a gamer. Just as often he'll argue the great benefit of precision strikes in saving civilian lives and the potential for future peace because the terrorist was killed without blowing up the entire village. All the subject matter covered in his overview of the history of drone warfare is interesting, and would have stayed that way had his ideas not drifted onto who's running the drones, digital natives, responsiveness of Government, executive power, the military industrial complex, the changing nature of warfare, etc,.
UNMANNED is like its subject matter: complex, unchained, bogged in quagmire, high speed, low drag, but ultimately without objective. Arkin clearly has a fast mind full of ideas. His best ideas would have made a great essay that can be summarized by saying, 'for all the benefit of drones in their ability to prevent mass destruction, intolerable civilian deaths, and prevent World War style military necessities, they are unmanned.' UNMANNED's best insight is that for all the benevolence that can be gained from automation and data, when that data is both the objective and the solution it becomes inhuman and possible inhumane.
The final chapters of UNMANNED, from "oh, Obama got elected", onward are surprisingly entertaining and focused. The early chapters focusing on the history of drones could have added to this if they forfeited the running commentary of lecture. The middle chapters which take a more detailed look into just how much military drone technology has become self-propagating, micro, and robust -- 6lb missiles, nano-drones, drones that can see across the light and heat spectrum and recognize human faces, drones that take pictures and video at billions of pixels of resolution -- are stymied by its regurgitation. Again, a great essay that if it included the interesting controversies, failures, and successes of drone warfare, combined by the military industrial complex in and of itself drones have become, followed by the ultimate point that we are lacking the soul searching in this high speed history in large part by its soullessness, would have made an entertaining and informative read. All of this could have been organized around the books best chapter "pattern of life" where Arkin gets himself a drone and tells personal stories that don't turn into stream of consciousness style noise on all things IT and Military. Instead, Arkin addresses all of these matters but weighs them down with tentative suggestions and apologetic pontificatation.
However, Arkin seemed so informed and concerned about their subject matter that I wanted to hear his point -- I'm glad, in the end there was a point, unlike the vast data collection of all our new tools Arkin is rightfully skeptical of.
December 13, 2015
This is a weird book. Obviously thoroughly researched by a person both knowledgeable of the subject and skilled at writing, it comes across as scattered and lacking in conclusions. I think the overarching goal is to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of "precision" warfare, where all-out destruction of enemy targets gives way to a much more discriminated elimination of assets crucial for the enemy to continue to operate. Even from that description, the advantages seem greatly desirable. The disadvantages are less obvious, and the book does a good job of explaining them in some detail. At some point, however, I believe detail overwhelms the point. If I understand it right, one of the main weaknesses of precision warfare, or, more specifically, how precision warfare as currently carried out by the US military, is that it rests on the assumption that the vagaries of the culture/situation war takes place on can be safely ignored, basing decisions exclusively on "material conditions". It also "offloads" many of the tasks traditionally carried out by the military to a new kind of civilian professional, opening the door to a permanent state of war in the name of job security.
Even though I find the book valuable, I feel it's unnecessarily demanding, and could greatly benefit from a thorough reorganization and editing. This would improve the delivery of the underlying message, which I believe is of great power and importance.
Even though I find the book valuable, I feel it's unnecessarily demanding, and could greatly benefit from a thorough reorganization and editing. This would improve the delivery of the underlying message, which I believe is of great power and importance.
May 20, 2016
**I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway**
I wanted to read this book because I didn't know a whole lot about militarized drones, or drones in general, and was interested in learning more about them. I feel that this book did a very good job explaining the history and development of the drone, but I would have liked a more in-depth look at how they are used during warfare (there was some mention of it in the book, but the mention was brief compared to all of the other information given).
Some parts of the book were a little heavy on acronyms and factual information, to a point where it was difficult to continue reading, but I persevered because there were many interesting parts of the book that I truly did enjoy. I liked learning about the epic of Gilgamesh as well, since I had never actually heard of the story before, and I found the authors comparison of the epic to modern warfare fascinating.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about drones and their role in the military. There are a lot of facts about drones that will definitely surprise you.
I wanted to read this book because I didn't know a whole lot about militarized drones, or drones in general, and was interested in learning more about them. I feel that this book did a very good job explaining the history and development of the drone, but I would have liked a more in-depth look at how they are used during warfare (there was some mention of it in the book, but the mention was brief compared to all of the other information given).
Some parts of the book were a little heavy on acronyms and factual information, to a point where it was difficult to continue reading, but I persevered because there were many interesting parts of the book that I truly did enjoy. I liked learning about the epic of Gilgamesh as well, since I had never actually heard of the story before, and I found the authors comparison of the epic to modern warfare fascinating.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about drones and their role in the military. There are a lot of facts about drones that will definitely surprise you.
September 22, 2015
Had no clue there were so many different kinds of drones, and there was such a large network of other technology to conduct warfare from afar. Helps explain why the US conducts war in so many places in the world, the beast needs to be fed. Meanwhile, the villagers remain blissfully entertained by the clowns in the Republican bus.
November 12, 2015
Interesting and I bet that's not the half of it. Technology in warfare can be a slippery slope...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews