www.citizensvoice.com/news/drone_operator_carney_says_u -
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Published on: 11/16/2009
Last Visited: 11/16/2009
Drone operator Carney says unmanned vehicles valuable
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Chris Carney, D-Dimock Township, serves in the Navy Reserves, where he remote operates the military's unmanned Predator, Reaper and Global Hawk drones.
These drones are no bees, but they can sting, and one of their operators is a local congressman who says they are integral to the war effort in Afghanistan and Iraq.
U.S. Rep.
Chris Carney, also known as Navy Reserve Commander Chris Carney, is one of the military's remote operators of unmanned Predator, Reaper and Global Hawk drones that fly and spy over the Middle East countries.
"I want to be on the cutting edge of our national defense and our defense technology," Carney said.
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Operators such as Carney manage them through remote controls from thousands of miles away in a room at Langley Air Force Base in Langley, Va.
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Carney was not in on that one, but he has been in on a few kills.
He trained to command the drones in 2007, and has been helping their operation in Afghanistan and Iraq during his two or three yearly, two-week reserve deployments since, most recently last month.
He is the first Navy drone commander.
He will only say he has been in the chain of command when Predators and Reapers struck and killed, including last month.
"Yes, we hit people and vehicles.
We hit bad guys," he said.
He did not push the button releasing the missiles.
He would not confirm giving the order to fire.
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"I don't think they can take over everything, but they certainly provide the intelligence and the surveillance that is required to make good decisions," said Carney, D-Dimock Township.
Critics say CIA drones have killed innocent people, including children.
Despite the controversy, Carney defends their use, making it clear he has never been involved in a drone attack that hit civilians.
"There is a pretty robust checklist that you have to go through to begin what is called the kill chain," he said.
"It's real life.
And that's the thing you always have to remember, even though you're on the other side of the Earth from where the actual action is occurring."
Without drones, the U.S. would have to deploy thousands more troops, he said.
"You have to have boots on the ground," Carney said.
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Chris Carney, also known as Navy Reserve Commander Chris Carney, is one of th