Airman 1st Class Steven (left) and Airman 1st Class Taylor prepare an MQ-9 Reaper for flight during exercise Combat Hammer, May 15, 2014, at Creech Air Force Base, Nev. Credit: U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Nadine Barclay Drone pilots represent one of the most crucial and under-appreciated elements of the U.S. military's operations across the world. They provide hours of support in watching over U.S. troops on the ground, searching for enemy targets and sometimes launching missile strikes. But the new age of robotic warfare is straining human limits — the U.S. Air Force fears that the growing demand for having more drones in the air around the clock is pushing its drone operators to the breaking point. The Air Force has struggled to train enough pilots to remotely operate its MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft for years. It has scrounged for new pilots by partially cannibalizing its training squadrons and by keeping manned pilots on drone operator duty for years beyond normal Air Force assignments. The existing group of military drone operators has received less time off and has suffered in its chances for promotion because ongoing operations have kept operators too busy to take military education courses. Now an internal Air Force memo acquired by
has revealed fears that the Pentagon's demand for more drone patrols will drive exhausted drone operators to quit and make it difficult to recruit new replacements. "It's at the breaking point, and has been for a long time," a senior Air Force official told The Daily Beast. "What's different now is that the band-aid fixes are no longer working."
