ICYMI: The drone that almost killed bin Laden
Angry Planet29 Joulu 2016

ICYMI: The drone that almost killed bin Laden

Months before 9/11, U.S. Air Force captain Scott Swanson patrolled the skies over Afghanistan with a Predator drone. Swanson and his team were hunting Osama bin Laden. And they found him. But this was months before the new drones could fire missiles, and the pilots could only watch as bin Laden walked away. On Jan 23, 2001 – just three days into George W. Bush’s presidency – a Predator drone test fired a Hellfire missile for the first time. A new age of war had begun. Swanson is the first human to use a Predator-fired Hellfire missile to take a life. From a trailer truck in a garage behind CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, Swanson loosed a missile from a drone roughly 7,000 miles away in Kandahar. The missile struck its target – a pickup truck outside a building that intelligence said was hiding Taliban leader Mohammad Omar. The missile hit and killed two of Omar’s bodyguards. This week on War College, we replay our conversation with Swanson. He walks us through the early years of the drone program, how it changed him, and how it changed the world. (Corrects distance from Langley to Kandahar from 2,500 miles to 7,000 miles in fourth paragraph)

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(497)

Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Assassinations

Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Assassinations

Hello and welcome to another conversation about conflict on an Angry Planet. Thanks for letting us kick up our heels this August, it was a rough one. We may not have been releasing, but we WERE record...

9 Syys 202458min

Doomsday Machines With Nuclear Historian Alex Wellserstein

Doomsday Machines With Nuclear Historian Alex Wellserstein

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/Nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein stops by Angry Planet this week to tell us all about his new project Doomsday Machines. It’s a d...

12 Elo 20241h 15min

How Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon

How Silicon Valley Seduced the Pentagon

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/Facing a friendly audience at an AI expo earlier this year, Palantir CEO Alex Karp let loose on a list of controversial topics. He ...

29 Heinä 202455min

On Presidential Assassins and the RNC With Rick Perlstein

On Presidential Assassins and the RNC With Rick Perlstein

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/Ronald Reagan carried a gun in his briefcase when he was president. According to Edmund Morris’ pseudo-historical memoir of Reagan,...

18 Heinä 20241h 2min

So What Happens to SEAL Team 6 If They Do Assassinations for the President?

So What Happens to SEAL Team 6 If They Do Assassinations for the President?

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/On July 1, 2024 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that American presidents have immunity for “official acts” committed while in office. ...

15 Heinä 20241h 13min

The Hard Limits of Cyber War and Subversion Operations

The Hard Limits of Cyber War and Subversion Operations

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/Influence campaigns, both subtle and unsubtle, are as old as statecraft. Agencies like the CIA, KGB, and Israel’s Mossad have all a...

2 Heinä 20241h 5min

Inside the Congressional Nuclear Bunker

Inside the Congressional Nuclear Bunker

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com/We used to build things in America, things like fallout shelters. There’s a luxury hotel on the border between Virginia and West Vi...

24 Kesä 202457min

TEASER: Getting Away With Murder in Texas

TEASER: Getting Away With Murder in Texas

Sign up at angryplanetpod.com to get instant access to the full episode.A direct link to the episode on Substack.Back in 2020, Daniel Perry was driving for Uber to make ends meet. He ran a red light a...

13 Kesä 202411min

Suosittua kategoriassa Politiikka ja uutiset

uutiscast
aikalisa
politiikan-puskaradio
ootsa-kuullut-tasta-2
rss-ootsa-kuullut-tasta
tervo-halme
rss-podme-livebox
et-sa-noin-voi-sanoo-esittaa
rss-asiastudio
rss-vaalirankkurit-podcast
otetaan-yhdet
rss-hyvaa-huomenta-bryssel
rss-raha-talous-ja-politiikka
rss-sinivalkoinen-islam
the-ulkopolitist
rss-kaikki-uusiksi
rss-tasta-on-kyse-ivan-puopolo-verkkouutiset
aihe
rss-50100-podcast
rss-girls-finish-f1rst