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A former U.S. Army intelligence and special ops soldier gives a look inside some of the nation’s most secretive military operations. For nearly a decade, Brett Velicovich was at the center of America’s new generation of warfare: an arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles—drones—taking down the world’s deadliest terrorists across the globe. Now this decorated veteran, with journalist Christopher S. Stewart, tells his story in a remarkable book packed with more classified drone operations cleared for public release than any other account ever published, according to the U.S. government. Drone Warrior offers an unprecedented view into the remarkably complex nature of drone missions in the hottest conflict zones today and the rigorous and wrenching on-the-ground decisions behind them. Drone Warrior also chronicles the U.S. military’s evolution in the past decade and the technology driving it. Velicovich considers the future it foretells, and speaks candidly on the physical and psychological toll it exacts, including the impact his missions had on his own life. He reminds us that while these machines can kill, they can also be used to preserve life, including protecting endangered species and supporting humanitarian operations—work he is engaged in today.
From the Publisher
Eric Blehm, award-winning author of the New York Times bestsellers Fearless and The Only Thing Worth Dying For, interviews Brett Velicovich about Drone Warrior.
Eric Blehm: While writing this book, how did you walk the line required to both tell an accurate and compelling story, but also not disclose information that could endanger our warriors and success in future operations?
Brett Velicovich: Department of Defense Pre-Publication Security Review Office (DOPSR) spent approximately 22 months vetting the manuscript. It took me longer to get the book through the approval process than it took me to write it. In the end, Pentagon representatives stated this book has more classified drone operations APPROVED for public release than any other book they have ever worked on to clear previously.
EB: What is about drones that first drew you into this world?
BV: In 2004, in Afghanistan as a young specialist, a detachment of Special Forces guys let me fly their RQ-11 Raven just outside of our safe house in Jalalabad. We threw it up in the air and watched as it buzzed around a few hundred feet above us streaming live video of the terrain below. I was blown away.
EB: In the book, I was struck by the combination of the astonishing technology in drones and the deep detective work that goes into each kill and capture mission. How did a typical mission unfold?
BV: Our success and precision in finding targets came from the massive amounts of intelligence data we had access to over the years and the interconnected networks and individuals who worked countless hours to ensure the guys at my level didn’t have obstacles in the way of us doing our jobs: hunting down the enemy.
EB: We’ve all heard about the emotional toll carried by soldiers in war zones. How did this kind of war — being in a dimly-lit box almost twenty-four hours a day, watching a dozen TVs connected to drones — affect you?
BV: Every soldier has his or her own trauma to deal with, and I can’t put myself in the place of the guys who were kicking down doors or running through the hail of bullets after the targets we chose. Those guys are the closest thing to superhuman, if they weren’t fighting for their country they would be professional athletes. My emotional toll was a bit different as an intel guy, it wasn’t one where I came back from war and regretted all the things that I did. I loved every minute of my work. The psychological toll I had to overcome came from this constant feeling in the war zones of having the weight of the world on my shoulders. The feeling that if my team didn’t find that terrorist that day, that he lived another day to hurt American soldiers or innocent civilians. Those things kept me up at night.
EB: With drones becoming more easily available through large retailers and their technology getting more and more sophisticated, what are the risks of terrorist groups using drones against us?
BV: We are already seeing the risks of terrorists getting their hands on similar capabilities due to the huge proliferation of drone technology in the last few years. ISIS taking consumer drones and modifying them in a way to conduct attacks against coalition troops. They have been modifying drones with improvised explosives and creating trigger mechanisms to release them from the air, all the while filming the attacks for their social media propaganda. That goes to show you how capable even off-the-shelf drone technology is in the wrong hands.
EB: You end the book discussing your work using drones to combat poachers of wildlife in Africa, and you’re also helping train the Somalia government in drone surveillance and counterterrorism; how is your current work a reflection of our drone-dominated future?
BV: I’m a big advocate right now in the drone industry for sharing that technology with the right people who can use it to help create a positive impact. One of those huge issues is wildlife conservation, we have a project called the African Eye, where we are in the process of repurposing some of the same technology I used for war and use it to fight poachers destroying these eco-systems in East Africa.
Customers find the book written like a good novel, with intense details that cut through misinformation. Moreover, the book provides a real eye-opener into the world of drone warfare, with one customer noting how drones enabled the capture or killing of terrorists. Additionally, the pacing is excellent, and customers find it engaging, with one describing it as a quick read on a fascinating subject.
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