Creating Leadership on Drone Warfare within the Faith Community

The Peace Action Education Fund in Princeton, NJ created the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare (INDW) in 2015 to enable people and institutions of faith to study and take appropriate steps to work for change in U.S. drone warfare policies. Since then, INDW held a national conference for religious leaders on drone warfare at Princeton Theological Seminary, co-sponsored 13 regional conferences on drone warfare, produced five 30-minute films on drone warfare for congregations, and promoted their use across the country.

The next phase of the work began July 15, 2018 and will be completed on February 1, 2021.

During that time, INDW will engage in these tasks:

1. Recruit two people of faith from each of 30 geographic areas across the United States who will make a commitment until February 1, 2021 to educate institutions and people of faith and enable them to take other appropriate steps to work for change in the U.S. lethal drone policies.
2. Ensure that the national offices of denominations and religious organizations will find ways to support the persons from their denomination or faith group that make this commitment.
3. A National Project Committee will be created for the period of fall of 2018 to February 2021 to advise and help the staff and the board of the Peace Action Education Fund with the implementation of this project. It will be made up of representatives of national denominational entities and religious organizations. The Project Committee will meet periodically by conference call to offer suggestions for the implementation of the project.
4. Use the Ecumenical Advocacy Days, a national conference held for the Christian community in Washington, DC in April 2019, to help recruit the 60 people of faith.
5. Hold a three-day national conference for the 60 people of faith and the members of the National Project Committee to equip them to do their work effectively.
6. The Peace Action Education Fund will convene those making this commitment by holding a monthly conference call from October 1, 2019 until February 1, 2021 and will create other methods for supporting the 60 people. 
7. The INDW will seek to increase the number of congregations screening the videos by working with the staff of denominations and religious organizations and those congregations that have viewed the videos to urge new congregations to show at least one of the videos.
8. The INDW will maintain the email list of people of faith who have engaged in work on drone warfare with the religious community.
9. Continue to operate the INDW website, which provides access to the five videos on drone warfare for congregations, as well as other resources on drone warfare.