The state has not declared war, nor has it done so since Korea. By NOT declaring a state of war, it accomplishes many things:
1. It automatically delegitimizes any person or faction who opposes the policy. The IRA fought against the British military for over 20 years. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dismissed them as common criminals who did not deserve status as political prisoners or recognition as official soldiers, they were merely terrorists. Declaring war means you acknowledge a person or government body as legit in a sense, thus you involve the Geneva Convention.
2. It allows the President to gain unprecedented powers by extrajudicial means (Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Patriot Act, NDAA, etc) that will receive very little opposition. Because the Constitution does not explicitly detail the types of situations that might unfold, it's used as an excuse to further consolidate power under the Executive Branch.
3. To "declare war" has lost its meaning over the years. It no longer represents the legal process of commencing hostilities with another party. It's a watered-down catch phrase that simply means to force someone into doing something by threat of armed reprisal.
4. By not declaring anything, you avoid copious media attention, you try to play down your own move to keep the population pacified.
Ever since 9/11 we've become an increasingly militarized society, like Hitler's Germany. They supported the camp program because it kept those darn Communist infiltrators off of the streets. They were tough on crime, like us. They loved and adored their sons who wore the uniform, so naturally, marching into the Rhineland or Austria wasn't such a bad thing.
Like Rome, violence and the threat of violence is now a part of our political system, whether we want to admit that or not.
As to the countermeasures against drones, all you really need is a computer. I wonder if Anonymous will take action?
