Nothing about Unmanned really turned out as I expected. It is hardly a book about drones—that is, the drone “war” in Pakistan and the coming everything that saturates civilian society. And I didn’t get the story I thought I would of how the military and intelligence worlds see drones, because, well, now that they’ve become controversial, there isn’t a lot of enthusiasm for lifting the veil beyond the PR. Even more, as I discovered, it is the Machine that is the story, not the drones. Military and intelligence insiders seem oblivious to their captivity, or else they are so overwhelmed by the scourge of information overload that they can hardly see anything else.
Early on in my research I discovered Gilgamesh as the name of a black box and that gave the book and my own search some meaning. Tim Schultz and Watt Alexander were crucial stimulants who made me look deeper, but the Epic itself captivated me, particularly as I began to see parallels between the five-thousand-year-old story and our modern world. David Chappell engaged me in many challenging discussions. Tom Cochran and Regina Monaco helped with two vital scientific questions that were over my head. Jacques and Christine, Colleen and Clif, and Vicky Bippart also inspired and fed my spirit during the writing, as did Luciana. Thanks also to the unmentioned sources who guided me through the discoveries.
Geoff Shandler, my former editor at Little, Brown, made the book possible. After he left, Ben George ably took over editing. Thanks also to the others I worked with at Little, Brown and Hachette, and to the production and editing team of Ben Allen and Barbara Perris, who I had the pleasure to work with on American Coup as well.
My whole world was turned upside down during the writing of this book, forcing me to go on my own search for the wind. Thanks to Kimberly, Chuck Gundersen, Nancy Spillane, Peter Pringle, David and Misa Chappell, Marianne Manilov, Daniel Stadler, and Sultana Khan for propping me up. And thanks as always to Kevin and Cory, Julia and Reed, Marianne Szegedy-Maszak, Stan Norris, Hans Kristensen, Bob Windrem, Steve Shallhorn, John Robinson, Chip Fleischer, and Tom Powers. Thanks also to my attorney and most trusted advisor, Jeffrey Smith.
During most of the time I worked on Unmanned I served as national security consultant to the New York Times. It was exhilarating and frustrating; none of it would have happened without the steady friendship of Eric Schmitt. To Leo, have fun with the Parrot. To Galen and Olivia, it’s your future. To Rikki and Hannah, I love you.