Kill Chain

The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins

De: Andrew Cockburn

Narrado por: Malcolm Hillgartner

This essential, pause-resister narrative on the history of drone warfare by the acclaimed author of Rumsfeld explores how this practice emerged, who made it happen, and the real consequences of targeted killing.

Assassination by drone is a subject of deep and enduring fascination, yet few understand how and why it has become our principal way of waging war. Kill Chain uncovers the real and extraordinary story of drone warfare - its origins in long-buried secret programs, the breakthroughs that made drone operations possible, and the ways in which the technology works and, despite official claims, does not work.

Taking the listener inside the well-guarded world of national security, the audiobook reveals the powerful interests - military, CIA, and corporate - that have led the drive to kill individuals by remote control. Most importantly of all, the book describes what has really happened when the theories underpinning the strategy - and the multibillion-dollar contracts they spawn - have been put to the test.

Drawing on sources deep within the military and intelligence establishments, Andrew Cockburn's Kill Chain unveils the true effects, as demonstrated by bloody experience, of assassination warfare - a revelation that listeners will find surprising and shocking.

©2015 Andrew Cockburn (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Not Really About Drones

I originally bought this thinking it was going to be all about drones. Turns out it is about 25% about drones.

The rest is historical information and budgets.

The costs are incredible to me and the willful ignoring of specific and pertinent data is criminal.

Book was an OK book for a road trip with headphones on. No one else in the vehicle would have liked it.

If you can get this for free it’s worth it.

Fascinating and Infuriating

Great book. Very well delivered history of how we got to where we are. It would be great to hear more on solutions that DO work, but that was not this book.

Excellent read!

This book was recommended by CMSAF Joanne Bass and I hope other military members get a chance to read it! Eye opening for sure!

An IRL Dystopian Sci-fi Story

This book oddly reads like a Michael Crichton sci-fi novel but then you realize that THIS is not a sci-fi novel. This novel is not kind to the military industrial complex, General Atomics and Lockheed Martin specifically. There are a number of well supported critical takes, some takes are less supported with a twinge of unsupported personal biases in the later chapters. Personally I would have loved to see a bit more of a counter ballance to some claims. Overall my go two book on how America screwed up in Afghanistan.

Introduction

Good topic but too short. Starts you thinking but needs more. No real discussion of opposing views.