Hair-raising times Drones take big toll on pilots
Pyongyang PLENTY of doubts have been raised about claims that North Korea executed its defence minister by anti- aircraft gun at the end of April. But whether or not General Hyon Yong Chol met such a grisly end, top officials face increasingly uncertain fates in Pyongyang.
Some 70 high-level officials and generals have reportedly been executed since Kim Jong Un came to power three years ago.
This marks a dramatic reversal of the strategies Kim’s father and grandfather used to stay in power.
In contrast to the brutality ordinary people experienced, disgraced officials might lose their jobs , but often reappeared a few years later back in the top ranks.
Kim Jong Un appears to have decided that only a campaign of terror would ensure obedience.
WASHINGTON POST-BLOOMBERG Washington IN a few short years, drones have become a central part of United States operations overseas, conducting around-theclock aerial surveillance and supporting US soldiers at ground level. But a new federal audit has found that the pilots are overworked and undertrained – and it’s taking a toll.
The military’s two most important drone fleets operate out of the US Air Force and the US Army.
Both services suffer from a chronic shortage of pilot training, according to a Government Accountability Office report, one that makes it hard for operators of unmanned aerial systems to keep their skills sharp and even to train new drone pilots. Army pilots are constantly being assigned to other duties that prevent them from logging the flight hours they need to stay current as drone pilots, the report said.
Other constraints include a lack of equipment and a failure to recognise the kind of training that’s required of pilots.
WASHINGTON POST-BLOOMBERG