U.S. Plans To Arm Italy's Drones

[DeSwiss]

Source: Wall Street Journal

Updated May 29, 2012, 8:13 a.m. ET
By ADAM ENTOUS

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to arm Italy's fleet of Reaper drone aircraft, a move that could open the door for sales of advanced hunter-killer drone technology to other allies, according to lawmakers and others familiar with the matter. The sale would make Italy the first foreign country besides Britain to fly U.S. drones armed with missiles and laser-guided bombs. U.S. officials said Italy intends initially to deploy the armed drones in Afghanistan.

Lawmakers who question the planned deal say the decision to "weaponize" Italy's unarmed surveillance drones could make it harder for the U.S. to deny similar capabilities to other North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, and set back efforts to urge sales limitations on other nations that make sophisticated drones such as Israel.

Advocates say such sales would enable trusted allies to conduct military missions on their own as well as help open markets for U.S. drone manufacturers.

The administration sent a confidential "pre-notification" to congressional panels in April detailing its plan to sell kits to Italy to arm up to six Reaper drones, which are larger, more-powerful versions of Predators.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303395604577432323658176792.html

[villager]

1. So the new definition of "change," then is "business as usual?"

Or worse-than-usual?

[gratuitous]

2. And so it continues

I like how the Wall Street Journal put "weaponize" in quotes. What else would you call it? Nice to see that we've got a new and improved model over the Predator drone - the Reaper drone! Be the first on your block to have one. Trusted allies only. For now. And please to be forgetting that at various times over the last 30 years our "trusted allies" have included the Saddam regime in Iraq and the Qaddafi regime in Libya.

[pscot]

3. What military missions will Italy be conducting on its own?

Are they likely to attack the Vatican or San Moreno? Does Italy even have an independent foreign policy?

[DeSwiss]

6. Maybe they're anticipating they'll need them......

...to fight off the populace when the next rating's downgrade of their sovereign debt takes place.

[emilyg]

4. Oh crap.

[Enrique]

5. "as well as" my ass

Advocates say such sales would enable trusted allies to conduct military missions on their own as well as help open markets for U.S. drone manufacturers.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. I'm sorry, I just don't give a shit about "opening markets for US drone manufacturers."

But I am kind of excited: Where can I get my own drone weaponization kit?

[DeSwiss]

8. Well, in Italy's case......

...they have gold, the Mafia and the Pope. And everyone knows that Great Britain and the US are joined at the hip.

So what are you offering in exchange? Do you have any oil? Natural gas? Rare earth?

[KoKo]

9. True and we do have USArmy Base (AFRICOM) that is expanding.

Not only the gold, the Mafia and the Pope...but, a little incursion into Africa? Done clandestinely, of course.

[pscot]

19. Never happen

Our masters wouldn't feel safe if they knew we could reach them inside their gated communities.

[mollerjay]

10. K&R

[woo me with science]

11. Nobel Peace Prize, my ass. nt

[DeSwiss]

12. Those were my first words upon reading this as well. :-/ - n/t

[freshwest]

13. DeSwiss,

[IamK]

14. "War is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength" n/t

[felix_numinous]

15. Damn

--and there are people that believe these will not be used here. They are just being tested.

[DocMac]

16. Fox news will run this:

"Obama escalates war on Catholic Church!"

I can see it coming.

[RC]

17. The only way to win the war on terror, is to

depopulate all the other countries.

The United states has a solid record of selling arms and ammunition to a country and then some years later declare them to be an enemy and either topple their legally elected government or just go to war with them. The exception is Great Britain.

[Nihil]

20. And the reason for that ...

> The United states has a solid record of selling arms and ammunition to a country
> and then some years later declare them to be an enemy and either topple their
> legally elected government or just go to war with them. The exception is Great Britain.

... is that the UK has been a satrap of the US for practically all of the time post-WWII.

No need to topple something that you've picked anyway.

[may3rd]

18. will congress go along with Obama's wish to arm Italian Reapers?

remember,
you get what you give

[hack89]

21. They will - they represent no threat to us. nt