Indefensible

Recently, Stephen Hawking issued his warning of humanity's next great threat--autonomous weapons. He believes their versatility and capability will make autonomous weapons "the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow." With the perspective of thirty-years as the CEO of private and public technology companies, Thomas Banks reached a similar conclusion. Like Hawking, Banks believes drones pose a genuine, maybe indefensible, threat to national security. In only twenty years, drones have expanded beyond the battlefield to be used by the likes of Amazon and common citizens. And soon.....terrorists.

Indefensible explores the consequences of inexpensive micro-drones, assembled in garages and basements of embedded terrorists, each laden with C4, shrapnel and deadly biologics. In Indefensible, benign micro-drones evolve to a frightening level wreaking havoc in our own backyard where, due to their intrinsic stealthiness, size, operating altitude and speed, are virtually undetectable and very likely, Indefensible.

Indefensible introduces a new and frightening terror regime--Lone Wolf Technology-Jihadism. Although operating independently, Technology-Jihadists are coordinated across the globe by invisible remote leadership through social media. Leadership guiding their Lone Wolves to deploy coordinated armadas of deadly drones wreaking terror and destruction.

In Indefensible Thomas Banks blends autonomous technology with new-age cyber warriors milling invisibly within our cities and towns driving innocuous soccer-mom-mini-vans delivering their C4 and biologic laden weapons.

The thought of C4 laden micro-drones in itself is frightening. Unfortunately the logical inclusion of more dastardly biological contaminants such as Anthrax or RICIN is apocalyptic. Regardless of their payloads, swarms of drones each weighing only a few pounds and flying close to the ground will be invisible to radar detection and prove catastrophic and indefensible.

In Indefensible we learn that no venue is safe or immune from this new-age attack system. Imagine fifty autonomous explosive laden micro-drones as they swarm buildings, sports arenas or outside gatherings of innocent and unwitting citizens. But yet, buildings are not the only viable targets for these unmanned instruments of disaster. Freeways, bridges, tunnels, cruise ships and even fully loaded airliners will fall victim. Drones have not only changed the fabric and tempo of warfare, they have ushered in a new era of remote and impersonal terror.

Indefensible doesn't require the suspension of disbelief but rather acceptance of the inevitable.