Arguments aside, though, how do people feel the undoubted contribution to ops made by drone crews should be recognized?
Right now, tanker crews flying over theatre are awarded campaign medals despite having virtually no risk to themselves. I'd argue that a Reaper crew, firing weapons, taking out high-level enemies, and saving lives on a daily basis are contributing more to ops than a single daily VC10/Tristar AAR serial. Shouldn't they get some form of recognition?
It's arguably the first modern military role that can have incredible effect without commensurate risk. What award do you give to a drone crew who perform an incredibly challenging, difficult attack that saves dozens of lives and demonstrates a huge level of skill while simultaneously eliminating an important target? There have been situations involving aircrew who've been awarded the DFC for important events that didn't necessarily require incredible amounts of bravery (didn't the first crew to fire a Storm Shadow in anger get one?), so is it time for an award that recognizes a event that doesn't involve personal risk?
Last edited by 5 Forward 6 Back; 14th Feb 2013 at 06:12.