In an effort to resolve this problem, the Pentagon went to the sports stadium. The production of football broadcasts has resulted in a variety of innovative technologies. In every game, dozens of cameras film the players from every angle. Every sequence is instantly indexed on a database. Thanks to efficient software, the control room staff can run replays from a variety of angles while displaying statistics on the screen. As Larry James, Air Force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, explains, “When it comes to collecting and analyzing data, sports broadcasters are far ahead of the military.” After sending emissaries into ESPN’s studios, the U.S. military decided to acquire a modified version of the software that it used. After all, their concerns are similar: “While sportscasters want to collect and catalog video on a specific player or a winning shot, the military wants the same capacity to follow insurgents and bombings.”

Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, loc. 188