Weaponized drones are likely coming to the U.S.

Security experts are worried that the United States could soon see drone attacks like ones that recently failed to assassinate Iraq's prime minister and target U.S. forces in Syria. For now, these “kamikaze drones” are mostly a threat in the Middle East, but CIA's former chief of counterterrorism, Bernard Hudson warned: "In a country like ours … increasingly ridden by political division, it will not be surprising if you're going to see people ... use, these cheap and readily available systems.”

Class discussion: How have the United States and other nations used unmanned aerial vehicles? How do they differ from the smaller drone aircraft used by militias in the attacks in Iraq and Syria? Do you think similar weaponized drones could be used in terror attacks inside the United States? Why or why not? What could be done to protect us and our infrastructure against these type of attacks? Do these type of drones really pose a greater threat than people using assault weapons, improvised explosive devices or hijacked planes?