Air Power, Insurgency and the “War on Terror” - Prof. Joel Hayward's ...

The use of <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong> Today: Have New Ethical Challenges Occurred?
power gives us huge advantages, but its limitations <strong>and</strong> wrongful use can cause ethically
questionable judgments <strong>and</strong> acts.
The Ethics of Distance
Assistant Professor Ole Jørgen Maaø pointed out that <strong>the</strong> distance from shooter to target
has increased tremendously <strong>and</strong> “this distance will probably increase”. 554 In addition,
Christopher Coker states: “The new technologies have drawn <strong>the</strong> military into a world
in which reality is meditated or simulated. This is one of <strong>the</strong> ethical dilemmas of <strong>the</strong>
American way of warfare, because it creates an encounter that is qualitatively different
from before – one that has little or no reference to us. What <strong>the</strong> warrior sees on <strong>the</strong>
computer screen is also real. The perception of reality becomes reality”. 555 This quotation
indicates that long distance is one of <strong>the</strong> characteristics of new technology <strong>and</strong> especially
of air power.
Distance prevents airmen from seeing <strong>the</strong> effects of <strong>the</strong>ir weapons. Modern technology
compensates for this by giving airmen <strong>the</strong> ability to see buildings <strong>and</strong> personnel that
have been blown up. Yet it is all presented on screens <strong>and</strong> monitors, completely free of
<strong>the</strong> noise <strong>and</strong> smell of <strong>the</strong> battlefield. The battlefield <strong>and</strong> war itself – for aircrew – have
increasingly become a conceptual <strong>and</strong> syn<strong>the</strong>tic world. What is <strong>the</strong> difference today
between a simulated bombing mission <strong>and</strong> a live mission? 556 If <strong>the</strong>re is no difference what
effect does it have on <strong>the</strong> ethical conscience of airmen? Christopher Coker addresses
this complex issue. He claims that physical distance – as provided by technology – is in
danger of being transformed into disassociation in two ways. 557 First <strong>the</strong>re is a mental
disassociation, since operators are increasingly cut off from <strong>the</strong> consequences of <strong>the</strong>ir acts.
Secondly, reality is increasingly presented by computers. In sum, he claims that pilots are
increasingly cut off from taking responsibility for <strong>the</strong>ir acts. I think that <strong>the</strong>se observations
– combination of technology, air power <strong>and</strong> distance – create a sort of alienation from
<strong>the</strong> traditional battlefield. My claim is that distance, due to <strong>the</strong> characteristics <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>
increasing use of air power, has created <strong>and</strong> will create ethically challenging situations.
The danger is that airmen put a mental distance between <strong>the</strong>mselves <strong>and</strong> what happens
on <strong>the</strong> ground <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>n let this distance influence <strong>the</strong>ir judgment.
I refer once again to Coker concerning <strong>the</strong> impact of distance upon soldiers:”[greater
distance] suggest that emotionally <strong>and</strong> psychologically soldiers will continue to become
increasingly detached from <strong>the</strong> enemy”. 558 Lieutenant Colonel David Grossmann verifies
this by arguing that <strong>the</strong>re is a connection between <strong>the</strong> physical distance to a victim <strong>and</strong>
<strong>the</strong> reluctance to kill. 559 He asserts that it is easier to kill people when <strong>the</strong> physical distance
increases. The resistance to killing is inversely proportional to <strong>the</strong> distance to <strong>the</strong> target.
He has illustrated this increased resistance to killing in <strong>the</strong> following diagram 560 :
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<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Power</strong>, <strong>Insurgency</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> “War on Terror”