Mayor Ben Walsh plans to expand Syracuse’s involvement in a major regional drone initiative, a move that has raised concerns from a local anti-drone action group and support from drone research and development organizations.

In his January “state of the city” address, Walsh pledged to help Syracuse become a more active partner in the drone initiative as development continues on unmanned aerial systems in the region.

“Soon, Syracuse will be the largest city in the nation covered by the instrumentation and software necessary to fly unmanned craft safely and efficiently for commercial purposes,” Walsh said in the speech.

He said his administration has been meeting with leaders of the initiative, as well as private sector employers. Walsh was not made available for an interview on this article.

Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance is engaged in ongoing talks with Walsh, said Ret. Maj. Gen. Marke F. “Hoot” Gibson, in an email. Gibson is currently the chief executive officer of the NUAIR Alliance.

“Mayor Walsh is an important partner in our efforts to develop an ecosystem of support for unmanned aircraft testing companies looking to grow in our region,” he said.

Headquartered in Syracuse, the alliance is a coalition of private and public entities and academic institutions that oversee and operate drone testing in New York, Massachusetts and Michigan, Gibson said.

The nearest test site, one of seven, is the New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York. The site researches and develops technologies to facilitate the safe integration of drones into the United States’ commercial airspace, Gibson added.

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NUAIR Alliance focuses on commercial drones, Gibson said. Potential uses of commercial drones include roof inspections, agricultural production, search and rescue missions and humanitarian aid, he added.

Ed Kinane, a member of the Upstate Drone Action advocacy group that has protested the deployment of military drones from a Syracuse air base, said he thinks that discussions around drones in domestic settings tend to ignore the military aspects of the technology.

“The thing to bear in mind is developments in commercial and domestic drones cross-pollinate with developments in weaponized drones,” he said.

The action group was created in response to the announcement that the Hancock Field Air National Guard Base was acquiring MQ-9 Reaper drones, Kinane said. The Hancock base acquired remotely-controlled Reaper drones that allowed pilots in Syracuse to fly the aircraft into war zones across the world, Syracuse.com reported in December 2009.

The group holds nonviolent demonstrations at the base to protest the presence of drone technology in upstate New York, Kinane added. Kinane said Upstate Drone Action is concerned with the military applications of drones and the legality of their use.

“We want the public to understand this,” Kinane said. “We’re hoping that, by our demonstrations at Hancock, that some of the drone personnel will think about what they’re doing.”

Kinane added that the group also has worries about using drones commercially and domestically.

“I just know in my heart that with all these drones overseas, they’re going to come home to roost,” he said. “They’re going to be used by a government that really could care less about civil rights and human rights.”

Kinane said he thinks Walsh’s plan could be a way to appeal to voters who want more jobs and development in the area.

During his “state of the city” address, Walsh said “drones are one example of the way technology in the digital age is creating an explosion of job opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Students of the Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler High School are already actively engaged in the regional drone initiative, Walsh added. Through the school’s P-Tech program, students learn skills necessary to pilot, engineer and repair drones.

Any possible benefits of domestic or commercial drones are outweighed by the military and civil rights applications, Kinane added.

“I would rather that drones had never been developed, whether for military, domestic or commercial use,” he said.

Gibson said it’s understandable that people are concerned about new and growing technology, but he thinks that further drone development has “the potential to greatly and positively impact lives.”

There is a “distinct” difference between military and commercial drones, he added. 

Published on March 6, 2018 at 9:43 pm

Contact India: irmiragl@syr.edu