Remote Control – The New Narrative of Modern Warfare

Caroline Donnellan

The Remote Control Project - a pilot project of the Network for Social Change, which has been hosted by ORG throughout 2013 - held its first conference on 10 June 2013. 

Thirty experts from think tanks, academia, journalism and the NGO world participated in the event to discuss the issues involved in the trend towards ‘Remote Control’ military activity. Discussions centred on how issues surrounding increased use of drones, private military companies and Special Forces interconnect and form a new approach to warfare, or ‘Remote Control narrative’.

Participants, who already work in their own organisations or institutions on issues of interest to the pilot project, identified various gaps in the field demanding further attention. Everyone agreed that cyber security, surveillance and privacy issues are all entwined in this narrative.

A key gap was the need for greater ‘horizon’ scanning. This involves identification of emerging issues, such as the unintended consequences of current policies as technology rapidly develops, becomes more widely available and more frequently used.

Greater scrutiny of the effectiveness of current ‘Remote Control’ policies in achieving long-term security was also seen to be an area demanding greater attention. If current approaches are fostering anti-Western sentiment, could they be undermining their aims? Many of the experts highlighted the need for increased emphasis on Sustainable Security approaches that address the drivers of insecurity.

Feedback from the conference has been extremely positive and participants welcomed the ‘joined-up’ format of the meeting, bringing together experts from different backgrounds working on related issues. The discussions held at the conference will be used to inform the direction of the future work of the Remote Control pilot project.

For any further information on this initiative, please contact the Research Officer for the Remote Control Project, Caroline Donnellan at caroline@oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk. 

First posted on: http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk