AN NGO that researches Britain’s use of drones has reported that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) suddenly ceased responding to its freedom of information requests.

Over the past decade Drone Wars has enabled greater transparency over Britain’s use of armed drones by analysing data gathered using the Freedom of Information Act. 

This includes situations in which the MoD asserted that its armed drones were mainly employed for intelligence gathering.

Drone Wars subsequently provided evidence that, in several circumstances, as many as half of Britain’s air strikes were executed using drones.

The data helped uncover strikes that had not been disclosed by MoD press releases and also enabled a greater understanding of the extent of drone strikes in Syria and Iraq. 

After sending queries to the MoD for more than 10 years, a January 2023 request was left unanswered.

The MoD said information that was previously released will now be refused as the data is related to bodies dealing with security matters (Section 23) and/or national security (Section 24).

“At first we thought it may be an administrative error but it soon became clear that it was a policy decision,” said Drone Wars founder Chris Coles. 

He suggested that it may be that as Britain and its Nato allies “are concentrating on possible conflict with ‘peer states’ rather than non-state groups it has been decided that it should no longer release the data.”

Mr Coles also says that using Section 23, claiming that the information is related to security bodies such as MI5, MI6 or special forces, “may mean that the current use of drones in Iraq and Syria is being more closely directed by those bodies than the MoD.”

He said the MoD’s refusal “leaves the public completely in the dark” about how Britain’s armed drones are being used.

“Armed drones lower the threshold for the use of force as political leaders are able to engage in military intervention without risk to their own forces.  

“It’s therefore crucial that there is some transparency over where and how armed drones are deployed.

“The government, however, seem to want to put drones in the same political space as special forces, and simply refuse to comment on their use.”

Mr Coles said Drone Wars is committed to challenging the secrecy surrounding the use of armed drones and announced that the NGO will challenge the MoD at an Information Tribunal.

Drone Wars will be protesting the use of ‘Protector’ armed drones at RAF Waddington on November 13.