Tara McKelvey, “How Buck McKeon created a global drone enterprise,” BBC News Magazine, 2 August 2013

Many countries, including China and Israel, make drones. Yet the US is the world’s leader in creating technology for drones and in promoting their use – for both military and civilian purposes. The interest in drones in the US crosses political lines, with both Democrats and Republicans investing in the aircraft. …

Less well known, however, is the fact that drones are used in the civilian airspace over the US, UK and Europe.

It is a growing, if under-reported, trend. Many of the drones used in Pakistan, along with those sent to Afghanistan, now have a permanent home in the US. These drones are turned over to civilians who work for the federal Customs and Border Protection agency, police departments, and other government offices.

The story of how drones became a robust niche in domestic law enforcement – and part of the commercial world as well – is rooted in Washington DC. Indeed, the rise of the drone can be traced in part to one man, Howard “Buck” McKeon.

McKeon, a California Republican, is chairman of the House armed services committee and co-chairman of a legislative group he founded, the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus, which supports expansion of the industry. …

Of the dozens of members on the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus in the House of Representatives, McKeon has received the most “drone-related campaign contributions” – $833,650 (£551,689), according to a report by Hearst Newspapers and the Center for Responsive Politics.

McKeon is a case study in how a member of Congress can work within the system, operate within ethical boundaries created by Congress, and have an impact on policy – as well as increase profits for Boeing, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin, all of which make drones in his district.  …

Lobbyists promote clients, including the makers of drones, and contractors give money to members of Congress, who in turn work on legislation that regulates their industry. Within this world of money and politics, McKeon is one who stands out.

Not only is McKeon the recipient of contributions from drone manufacturers, but he is also one of Washington’s most vocal supporters of the industry. He and members of his Capitol Hill office have close ties with lobbyists and contractors. …

Gordon Adams, a former director at the Office of Management and Budget in the Clinton administration, says drones will remain “a high priority” for the Pentagon.

“The applications of unmanned systems are virtually limitless,” McKeon said in a press release. …

Drones cannot be used for commercial pursuits, though that is likely to change. At the behest of Congress, Federal Aviation Administration officials are looking at ways to introduce drones into the civilian airspace. Officials expect that 10,000 drones will be flying in the air by 2020. …

The spike in drones can be attributed in part to the iron triangle, “a network of public and private forces that combine a profit motive with the planning and implementation of strategic policy”, as Reuters’s James Ledbetter describes the network in his book Unwarranted Influence.

Ten leading contractors, a group that includes Northrop Grumman, AeroVironment and Alliant Techsystems, have spent more than $500bn (£331bn) on lobbying from 2001-12, as data compiled for this article shows.

Source: OpenSecrets.org – includes spending only by parent companies, not subsidiaries, from 2001 through 10 December 2012

Critics say lines between government and industry are blurred. Executives at one company, AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems, were involved in the formation of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus.

“We were original plank holders in the UAV caucus,” says AAI Senior Vice-President Steven Reid. Many of the defence contractors belong to the Arlington, Virginia-based Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. …

“The industry was kind of bragging about it,” says Amie Stepanovich, a litigation counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center. …

According to a slide presentation created for a 2011 event in North Dakota, Toscano referred to sections of the bill that look at unmanned aerial systems:

“The only changes made to the UAS” – an acronym that refers to unmanned aerial systems – “sections of the House FAA bill were made at the request of AUVSI. Our suggestions were often taken word-for-word.”

Read the full article here.