By Rita Cook
WASHINGTON DC – Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive order “Unleashing American Drone Dominance.”
Sounds like big brother on steroids.
Already American’s every move is under surveillance while driving, in meetings, at gas pumps, and regarding drones. Police departments, like DeSoto and Arlington for example have a cadre of these little mini-eyes used in the name of public safety.
Trump signed three executive orders last week surrounding the drone issue, but highlighted the need for drone innovation, supersonic air travel and more tightly securing American air space.
“The United States must accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate UAS into the National Airspace System,” the executive order read. “The time has come to accelerate testing and to enable routine drone operations, scale up domestic production, and expand the export of trusted, American-manufactured drone technologies to global markets. Building a strong and secure domestic drone sector is vital to reducing reliance on foreign sources, strengthening critical supply chains, and ensuring that the benefits of this technology are delivered to the American people.”
As related to law enforcement, Droneresponders.org reported “more than 5,000 public safety agencies have implemented drone programs, and an estimated two-thirds are law enforcement agencies.”
Regardless of who is the drone pilot; big brother or neighbor Bob next door, this increase in usage will certainly require new regulations since it is not the drone, but who is driving it that should come into question.
Trump’s drone EO points toward enhancing United States productivity, creating high-skilled jobs, and reshaping the future of aviation.
It mentions coordination, infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, emergency response, and public safety and adds “Emerging technologies such as electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft promise to modernize methods for cargo delivery, passenger transport, and other advanced air mobility capabilities.”
Innovative technology that excites yet takes away freedoms always seems to begin with the “safety of the American people” argument.
In this case, White House officials were touting drone dominance needs also falls into the scope of safety precautions due to the major worldwide events coming to the United States in the next few years such as the Olympics and the World Cup.
Is anyone asking why we are hosting these events in the United States if the only way to secure safety is by increasing Big Brother?
Of course, this EO is also about improvements in the aerospace field too.
White House officials said most recently, past regulations in this field have muted the future of this industry.
But no more, because now, marked by the signing of this EO the United States is set to jet into a future that was once just science fiction. Perhaps those flying cars we were promised back in the 1970s will soon be a reality.
Michael Kratsios, a tech policy advisor at the White House, said regarding the executive order, “Flying cars are not just for the Jetsons.” The EO is also poised to focus on the importance of American airspace sovereignty with an eye toward penalties for drone abuse in American airspace.
Rita Cook is a world traveler and writer/editor who specializes in writing on travel, auto, crime and politics. A correspondent for Texas Metro News, she has published 11 books and has also produced low-budget films.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login