Discussions of ethics in war need not, however, be restricted to rules and people's adherence to rules. An alternative is to apply a virtues-based approach to assessing the use and users of force. Accordingly, the salient ethical problem with drones is that this technology challenges traditional notions of what a "warrior" is what a "good" warrior would do. A virtuous user of force is one who adheres to rules of engagement and laws of armed conflict, but there are other virtues that are supposed to make killing in war not only permissible, but also admirable.
Members of the military profession have a unique and demanding purpose - to deliver and receive death and destruction - and the profession's values are essential to that purpose. The warrior ethos is comprised of honour, duty, courage, loyalty and self-sacrifice, and these values are nurtured because they bind soldiers (and sailors and airmen) to one another and to the society they serve. Critically, they are also the main point of reference by which warriors historically have sought to distinguish themselves from mere butchers. Men and women who exhibit these martial virtues are admired and respected, cheered when they march in parades, and mourned when they perish in battle.
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