This unconnected, dispersed approach to intelligence has never worked and this is a clear example of its failure. When one tries to do intelligence remotely, using technological means, one looses the “native atmospherics” that often tell more about what is going on than any sensor.
U.S. deaths in drone strike due to miscommunication, report says
The Pentagon says Marines in Afghanistan and the crew controlling the drone in Nevada were unaware analysts watching the firefight via live video in Indiana had doubts about the targets' identity.
Phi Beta Iota: Leon Panetta has no idea what he is doing – just another naked ignorant mini-emperor going through the motions. All of us with intelligence and integrity have been pointing out that situational awareness comes from humans in the situation, not crews half the world away chugging a soda and morally disengaged; and bandwidth costs more than pilots.