UAVs and the Boston Marathon

As authorities scramble to track down those responsible for using deadly improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target the Boston Marathon earlier this week, Homeland Security Today is reporting that, according to a recent study, 1) terrorists have attacked seven marathons throughout the world since 1994; and 2) the most common weapon used in 207 terrorist attacks in the U.S. from 2001 to 2011 were incendiary devices and explosives.

So how do we address – or ideally, prevent – a similar attack at the next complex sporting event, like the marathons coming up in cities like Philadelphia, New York and Chicago, especially given the challenges that go with securing a 26.2-mile route through a major city?

Part of the answer may lie with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as “drones”.  While the past few months have seen the critics of drones largely dominate the debate over their use, it is worth noting the important role that this technology can play in minimizing loss of life from terrorist attacks like what we saw in Boston.

As U.S. News and World Report notes, drones could be extremely effective in managing the chaotic aftermath of an attack:

“UAS could be an important tool in the tool kit for first responders in the event of an emergency,” says Michael Toscano, president of the industry’s largest organization. “Whether it is in response to a natural disaster or a tragedy like we saw in Boston, UAS can be quickly deployed to provide first responders with critical situational awareness in areas too dangerous or difficult for manned aircraft to reach.”

Monday’s bombing killed three people and injured dozens more. On the police scanner in the aftermath of the attack, first responders discussed grounding a helicopter because it needed to refuel. Multiple drones would theoretically solve that problem.

The piece goes on:

At least one company has begun marketing mobile drone command vans for police use that could be used at large public events such as the marathon and has been used at the Rose Bowl in past years and during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The “Mobile Incident Command Platforms,” being sold by Information Processing Systems of California, are designed for emergency situations, according to its founder, Clarence Boice. The company has sold early versions of the van to National Guards in at least five states. Boice says the van can be outfitted to launch drones and create on-the-go cellphone and satellite signals in the aftermath of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Monday’s bombing overloaded cell towers in the area.

On the prevention side, sensors on both manned and unmanned aircraft have been used for some time by our military to detect IEDs in Afghanistan, with positive effect.  As Military Times reported back in July of 2012:

Images from spy planes and sensors that detect wires that trigger explosives have helped to mitigate the No. 1 threat to U.S. troops in Afghanistan — roadside bombs — over the past year.

The Pentagon has filled the skies over Afghanistan with high-tech sensors, and the effect has been measurable. From March through May, troops in vehicles found 64 percent of improvised explosive devices before they blew up, an 11 percentage-point increase over the previous quarter. Troops on foot patrol discovered 81 percent, a 4 percentage-point increase, according to the Pentagon’s Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO).

The rate of discovery before bombs exploded hovered around 50 percent for years. The most important measure of progress: IEDs caused less than half of troop deaths for the first time in five years.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to convene a hearing on 23 April, “Drone Wars: The Constitutional and Counterterrorism Implications of Targeted Killing”, at which — if history is any guide — we will hear much concern and outright negative commentary on drones.  While it of course remains important for Congress to examine the use of government power – whether through force or surveillance – in the context of this technology, that conversation should not obscure the critical advantages drones offer in preventing, or mitigating the impact of, the next terrorist attack.