Drones, warfare and the future of surveillance

Drones have become a fixture in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in U.S. campaigns in Pakistan and Yemen and more recently Libya and Somalia. With their ability to conduct surveillance and deliver increasingly lethal payloads, they have changed the nature of war. But their use has also prompted a debate over their application for surveillance in the United States and made them the envy of militaries around the world. The Post’s occasional series “Eyes in the Sky” looks at the expanding use of drones and the implications for government, industry and civilians.

Drones cast a pall of fear | Dec. 4, 2011

U.S. creating a ring of secret drone bases | Sept. 21, 2011

A possible future for drones: Automated killings | Sept. 20, 2011

Since Sept. 11, CIA’s focus has taken lethal turn | Sept. 2, 2011

Global rush is on to match U.S. drones | July 5, 2011

U.S. drone targets Somali militants tied to al-Qaeda | June 30, 2011

Stealth drones kept watch over bin Laden home | May 18, 2011

Privacy issues hover over police drone use | Jan. 23, 2011