A missive just came in out of the blue from an anti-militarism organizer who I last talked to half a dozen years ago while reporting a piece on Germany’s role in Asian drone warfare. I was thrilled to hear from her.
I don’t normally just paste press releases wholesale, but she did a good enough job with hers that I don’t have much to add. And since the American demonstrations she’s hyping are tomorrow, and I have at least a few readers on the west coast, I figured it was worth trotting out in its entirety.
Here’s the release in full:
Protests Outside 4 US Drone Bases in National Day Of Action;
Communities Urge U.S Military to Refuse Illegal Orders
WHEN: Thursday, July 30, 6:30-8:30am, During commute hours into Base
WHEN: Beale AFB, Marysville, CA, “Wheatland Gate,” South Beale Rd & Ostrom
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Beale AFB, Marysville, CA (July 29, 2026) — Across the US, veterans, students, and community members will rally on July 30, outside four U.S. military drone bases for a National Day of Action for Peace in Iran. “Refuse Illegal Orders” will be the overlying theme, urging active duty servicemen to refuse to comply with illegal orders to fly surveillance and attack missions against the people of Iran. With polls showing only 1 in 3 Americans supporting the illegal and unprovoked U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Congress and the Trump Regime have both failed to represent the will of the American people in this hopeless and illegal quagmire.
Community members call on the military to abide by the rule of law. It is the moral and legal duty of every member of the armed forces to refuse clearly illegal orders under US military law and international humanitarian law. Respecting these laws serves to protect civilians and human dignity and ensures that no one should ever be forced to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.
MQ-9 Reaper drones have become central to guiding U.S. air attacks against Iran. The importance of Reapers is evidenced by Iran shooting down more than 30 Reapers in two months. Eight recently produced Reapers and two Reapers in service were destroyed by the latest Iranian attacks against U.S. facilities in Jordan. militarywatchmagazine.com
“At $50 million dollars each for a fully equipped Reaper, we must also consider the basic human needs that are being neglected due this grossly wasteful expenditure from unbridled U.S.- Israeli militarism,” says Toby Blomé, coordinator of the Beale AFB action in California. “Further, the extreme out of control fires waging in Canada, Oregon and Europe are deeply connected to our state of endless wars, since U.S. militarism is the number one contributor to the climate chaos we are facing,” she adds.
This action is one in a series from a growing movement dedicated to constructing an international politics based on solidarity. “We refuse to accept that our security and freedom can only be achieved through the denial of those of others around the world. We declare that true freedom comes from meeting the needs of all people, upholding the self-determination of all peoples, and ending systems of imperialism and exploitation. Another world is possible and it will not be built with bombs,” says Dylan Davis, organizer with the Holloman AFB, New Mexico action
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Co-organized by ShutDownDroneWarfare.org and BanKillerDrones.org
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Highlighted links from this piece:
Eight Newly Produced MQ-9 Reaper Drones Destroyed in Iranian Strike: Fleet Shortages Increasingly Critical (Military Watch)
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Image info/license: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MQ-9_Reaper_at_Paris_Air_Show_2013_4.jpg
