Emotional Reactions to Killing in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Crewmembers During and Following Weapon Strikes

Chappelle, Wayne; Skinner, Emily; Goodman, Tanya; Swearingen, Julie; Prince, Lillian

doi:10.1080/21635781.2018.1436101

Cited by 12 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Although logistically attached to USAF units, they are known as the eyes and ears of the Department of Defense (DoD) because they collect, disseminate, and report real-time visual intelligence from various regions of conflict to agencies throughout the DoD. Operating within the protected borders of USAF installations, they are removed from the physical hazards of the battlefield, but they observe and participate in combat operations in ways similar to remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators and other warfighters who have come to be known as remote warriors (Chappelle, Skinner, Goodman, Swearingen, & Prince, 2018).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional reactions of distributed common ground system imagery analysts exposed to remote combat operations.

Chappelle¹,

Swearingen

Mulhearn

et al. 2022

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy

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Objective: Imagery analysts of the United States Air Force distributed common ground system (DCGS) provide real-time intelligence informing battlefield decision-making processes worldwide. The number of DCGS combat operations personnel has grown along with the demand for their products, but little is known about the emotional impacts of remote warfighting. The current study is a mixed methods analysis of emotional reactions to remote fatality-inducing combat events and of potential demographic, occupational, and mission-specific correlates of negative emotional reactions to these combat operations in DCGS personnel. Method: One-hundred ninety-six active duty analysts with direct exposure to weapon strike operations volunteered to participate in semistructured interviews. Results: Participants were largely enlisted (93.9%), male (75%), and between 18 and 30 years of age (73.0%). Eighty-nine percent reported at least one positive emotion and 71% reported both positive and negative emotions in response to weapon strike events. An underlying current of positive emotions (e.g., pride, camaraderie, patriotism) combined with mission-specific negative emotions (e.g., sadness related to witnessing pain, suffering, and/or loss of life; anxiety and stress related to uncertainty and unforeseeable events) were commonly reported. Twenty-one percent endorsed negative emotions that disrupted their daily functioning, and witnessing a civilian casualty increased risk by 217%. Conclusion: DCGS analysts reported emotional responses similar to other remote warfighters but with proportional distributions that reflect their unique wartime roles and responsibilities. The heightened sense of responsibility associated with their wartime roles may elevate risk for negative emotional outcomes when adverse events, such as the death of a civilian, occur.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional reactions of distributed common ground system imagery analysts exposed to remote combat operations.

Chappelle¹,

Swearingen

Mulhearn

et al. 2022

Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy

Self Cite

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“…They may be exposed to disturbing imagery of death and destruction. [ 13 ] It is especially important as the team would have studied the routine life of the targets and may have even started getting psychologically connected with them. Unlike traditional fighter pilot, they may not be able to share their experience with their colleagues and may remain anonymous.…”

Section: Stressors and Their Effects On Drone Operatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cry in the sky

Saini

Raju

Chail

2021

Industrial Psychiatry Journal

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Drone operations have added a new chapter to modern warfare. They may not guarantee immediate territorial gains but can significantly influence ideological and political alignment of the adversary at a cost which is much lower than conventional war. However, drone operators, which include remote pilots, intelligence coordinators, and other support staff, may face important psychological issues which may affect their mental health and operational efficiency. We conducted a nonsystematic narrative review of the articles dealing with the issue and found that drone operators and support staff have higher chances of suffering from emotional disengagement, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), emotional exhaustion, and burnout. The scope of the article does not cover the psychological effect on the targeted populations or political and ethical issues dealing with drone warfare.

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“…Within discourses of drone operators as 'intimately proximate' there remains a focus on the effects of exposure to violent combat footage (Chappelle et al 2014(Chappelle et al , 2018Ouma et al 2011;Asaro 2013;Pinchevski 2016). In reflecting upon the "intimate nature of the video surveillance" conducted (Asaro 2013: 205), that evoked in the quotation opening this section, particular interest has been taken in testimony describing the effects of witnessing bodies "twisting and contorting and glowing from the heat of the blast" (operator in Breaking Defense 2014: n.p, see also The Guardian 2015a; GQ 2013; Rolling Stone 2016; Schei 2014).…”

Section: The "Intimately Proximate" Operatormentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital warfighting temporalities and drone discourse

Jackman

2020

Digi War

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As drones have emerged as icons of contemporary warfare so too have drone operators become symbols of contemporary warfighting. While drone scholarship to date has predominantly centred upon exploring the drone's "functioning" and "implications", including interrogating the 'in-theatre' experiences of operators, this article responds to calls for further attentiveness to the "making of" the drone (Klauser and Pedrozo in Geogr Helv 70:285-293, 2015). In empirically examining the 'making of' the drone operator, it turns to their training, and in particular the use of simulators therein. This focus, it argues, offers an alternative accounting of the drone operator, one that both revisits and complicates existing and enduring narratives of drone operation and/as videogaming, and one that offers an alternative temporality and 'site' through which to explore how drones come to 'function'.

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Emotional Reactions to Killing in Remotely Piloted Aircraft Crewmembers During and Following Weapon Strikes

Cited by 12 publications

References 15 publications

Emotional reactions of distributed common ground system imagery analysts exposed to remote combat operations.

Emotional reactions of distributed common ground system imagery analysts exposed to remote combat operations.

Cry in the sky

Digital warfighting temporalities and drone discourse

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