The CIA: Secret Drone Wars
Warfare
History Hit
4.5 • 943 Ratings
🗓️ 23 December 2022
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Like most aspects of the organisation, the CIA drone programme is shrouded in secrecy. With covert bases located across the globe, all armed with high tech sensors and precision missiles, it begs the questions, is anywhere safe in this new modern age? But how did the CIA drone programme begin, and how did it evolve into the covert operation it is today?
In the final episode of our CIA miniseries, James is joined by Professor Chris Fuller to look at the origins of CIA drone programme. Author of 'See It/Shoot It' Chris is the perfect guest to shed light on this clandestine part of the CIA. Looking at drone involvement in the 1980's and the role they played in locating Gaddafi, through to their uses in a post 9/11 world - what can we really know about the CIA drone programme, and is there anywhere on earth left to hide?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The CIA drone program has long been shrouded in secrecy. |
| 0:05.0 | All around the world, there are covert bases where military drones armed with high-tech sensors and precision missiles are launched on missions to kill the enemies of the United States. |
| 0:16.6 | Nowhere is safe. |
| 0:18.5 | But where did this practice begin? |
| 0:20.6 | Well I'm your host James Rogers and to explore the surprising origins of the CIA drone program I've invited Professor Chris Fuller onto the warfare podcast as part of our special CIA month. Chris is the author of See It Shoot It, The Secret History of the Lethal CIA Drone Program. |
| 0:37.0 | And by drawing on his original research, we hear about the origins of the CIA's attempts to |
| 0:41.7 | kill Gaddafi with drones in the 80s, |
| 0:44.2 | all the way through to the rise of modern high-tech killer drones |
| 0:47.6 | that we see all around the world today. |
| 0:50.7 | Enjoy. Thank you for the invitation. No, not a problem at all. I actually can't believe seeing as you work on drones and the history of drones, it seems almost remarkable that we have never met in person. |
| 1:10.7 | We've been circling around one another in the same areas clearly, but this is the moment, right? |
| 1:17.7 | So this is either going to show that it's been a tragedy we haven't met before or that it's been |
| 1:22.1 | a good thing that our views have not |
| 1:24.2 | collided on this topic. Yeah this could be a drone dog fight we're circling in the |
| 1:29.2 | skies for years and now we've got our air-to-air missiles we could disagree |
| 1:32.4 | massively I don't think that's going to be the case. and now we've got our air-to-air missiles. We could disagree massively. |
| 1:33.0 | I don't think that's going to be the case. |
| 1:35.0 | I've read your book, See It, Shoot It, |
| 1:37.0 | and that's why I've invited you on the podcast. |
| 1:39.0 | So you know, I'm a bit of a sycophant here. |
| 1:40.0 | I've got you on and we're going to go through this history in some good detail this |
| 1:43.5 | fascinating history now as our listeners know it is CIA month here on the warfare |
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