#75 - Predator Drone Operator | Brandon Bryant

Brandon Bryant is a former MQ-1B Predator Sensor operator for the United States Airforce. He flew armed predator drones in Iraq, Afghanistan, & Yemen. He has since come forward with information from inside the U.S. military’s secret drone program specifically on the issues of civilian 'collateral damage' and the struggles of drone pilots with substance abuse and post-traumatic stress disorder. The daily work of tracking and and taking shots as an operator took a psychological toll on Bryant & Since he left, he’s also been struggling with the pressures of going public as a whistleblower.  The drone program remains highly under wraps, even as the military continues to carry out targeted strikes around the world. Begun during the George W. Bush administration but massively expanded and normalized under Barack Obama, air wars waged by drone and conventional aircraft now continue in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices