I spy with my faraway eye

摘要

For a war zone, the silence is disconcerting. The battlefield is a dark, cold, slightly musty-smelling room, lit only by blinking LEDs on computer consoles and a pale glow from screens showing aerial views of desert expanses. A pair of jumpsuited US air force soldiers sits at each console, speaking softly into their headsets and navigating remotely operated aircraft with controllers similar to those in fighter jets. Outside, unmanned Predator or Reaper aircraft - better known as drones - patrol the pristine New Mexico skies.