Unmanned Military Weapons Systems and the Future of Warfare

1294 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How did new technology affect warfare

The art of war is simple...kill your enemy, destroy their resources, and eliminate their ability to wage war against you and your interests. How we accomplish those goals and objectives is more complex and difficult due to political, logistical, and moral complications. In today’s day and age, with the emergence of communications technology, the social stigmatism countries face when innocent non-combatants are killed or injured weighs negatively on the country’s ability to wage war in a very important area of successful warfare, the psychological aspect. The ability to project armaments on intended targets with minimal collateral human and unintended material damage is critical to winning the hearts and minds of the average person. The aim of this paper is to present a brief synopsis of the history and technological advancements in unmanned military weapons systems in modern warfare and the roles that these systems may play in the future, not only in warfare but also in non-warfare roles.

Since the beginning of time, the way humans have waged war has evolved through ingenuity and progressive technology. During the Revolutionary War’s Battle of Bunker Hill, Colonel William Prescott’s famous saying “Don’t fire, till you see the whites of their eyes” (Free Republic) was indicative of the close proximity combatants had to be with each other. Killing your enemy was up close and personal, you actually saw the target you were aiming at. Guns were single shot and slow to reload, often leading to hand-to-hand combat, which in my opinion, makes killing more difficult morally. As the industrial revolution took hold after the Revolutionary War, and with the emergence of automatic guns, tanks, airplanes, and missiles, close combat...

... middle of paper ...

...opments and make every effort to determine whether we can use those advances for the betterment of society and humanity as a whole. Technological advances carries a sometimes unknown element of surprise and change in our systems, as very small differences in the initial conditions of these systems can grow into very large differences as time passes (Cornish, 2004), which is not good for our future generations.

Works Cited

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/1788168/posts

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ambush/

Hoffman, M. (2009, March 1) UAV pilot career field could save $1.5B Audit suggests

eliminating ‘unnecessary’ training.

Air Force Times. Retrieved from http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_uav_audit_030109/

Cornish, Edward. 2004. Futuring: The Exploration of the Future. Bethesda, MD: World

Future Society.

Show More
Related

  • The Sniper by Liam O´Flaherty and Just Lather, That´s All by Hernando Tellez

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Murder is a reprobate action that is an inevitable part of war. It forces humans into immoral acts, which can manifest in the forms such as shooting or close combat. The life of a soldier is ultimately decided from the killer, whether or not he follows through with his actions. In the short stories The Sniper by Liam O'Flaherty and Just Lather, That's All by Hernando Téllez, the killer must decide the fate of their victims under circumstantial constraints. The two story explore the difference between killing at a close proximity compared to killing at a distance, and how they affect the killer's final decision.

    Read More

  • History of Drones and How They would Re-Shape Modern Warfare

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Government’s targeted killing of three U.S. citizens in two drone strikes, both in Yemen, far from any armed conflict zone.” (“Targeted Killings”). Drones or unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is the technology that has taken war and fighting to a brand new level. The technology is believed to lower the use of troops and life loss in the wars that are happening today. Can that same technology be considered dangerous? Or are the side effects something that can simply be considered a small cost for something better? Drones demonstrate a growth in technological advances , and also the world. Although as brilliant this technology might be, it brings a threat to the people.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis: It Always Costs By David Suzuki

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the text “It Always Costs”, author David Suzuki firmly defends his opinion on the detrimental effects of technology in today’s and age. Throughout his text, Suzuki continuously endorses the idea that technologies have far greater negative impacts than positive and are hardly worth the risk. He explains that these new technological innovations are assuredly unpredictable, reaching a point of somewhat unreliability. The author points out in his text that as humans, we do not have the capacities to foresee these fluctuations, for our knowledge in scientific innovation, is relatively limited. As such, he proposes that we, as citizens, must make a conscious effort to become more informed and aware of these new technologies sprouting in our

    Read More

  • Bruce Berkowitz's The New Face of War

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ability to disable an enemy force without ever having to fire a single shot – that is the new direction of warfare. Bruce Berkowitz’s The New Face of War: How War Will Be Fought in the 21st Century is yet another book that examines future warfare, not what causes countries will be fighting over or even who will be fighting, but the form of the conflict. Reading his work cover to cover, the message is clear: “To win wars today, you must first win the information war. ” This book is a must-read for anyone working in intelligence or in a position of power that influences our government spending on national security or military operations, because it articulates the importance of information technology on warfare, presents examples of how information has shaped conflicts throughout history, and provides invaluable lessons to leaders at all levels.

    Read More

  • Aristotle, Rousseau and Descartes on Technology

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ced that with each field of study comes a different thought process. Aristotle, an ancient philosopher, is able to see both the good and the bad regarding technology; Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an eighteenth century politician deeply rooted in self-preservation, saw that the only way to improve oneself was through natural means; René Descartes, a mathematician, believed the only way to better the human species was through scientific assessments and technological advancements.

    Read More

  • Technology

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today's world, technology is constantly changing from a new paperclip to an improvement in hospital machinery. Technology lets people improve the way they live so that they can preserve their own personal energy and focus on the really important factors in life. Some people focus their energy on making new innovations to improve transportation and the health of people that may save lives and some people focus on making new designs of packaging CDS. Technology is significant in everyone's life because it rapidly changes what is in the market. But, some new innovations of technology are ridiculous because they serve no purpose in helping mankind.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Christopher Coker´s Essay: Can War be Eliminated?

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since the end of the Cold War, non-state actors have risen in both prevalence and apparent power. The presence of non-state entities has caused significant ethical and political problems with Western ideology. Coker discusses issues concerning non-state actors in “Ethics and War in the 21st Century” with special attention given to the conflicting cultural ideas regarding warfare concerning the USA. The ability to label a target as not only an enemy combatant, but a fundamentally opposed force that is willing to ignore common practices and ethics is one that Coker denounces and attempts to explain. The disparity of established ethics between the two groups is only complicated with emerging weapon technologies, most importantly non-lethal weapon systems. In recent decades, the concept of a diffused enemy has proven to be ethically more problematic regarding identification and actions against a combative force with considerations for emerging technologies.

    Read More

  • An Enemy of the People, Waiting for Godot and Civilization and Its Discontents

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the centuries, society has been given men ahead of their time. These men are seen in both actual history, and in fictional accounts of that history. Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, and even Freud laid the framework in their fields, with revolutionary ideas whose shockwaves are still felt today. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so society has also possessed those how refuse to look forward, those who resisted the great thinkers in science and civilization. The advancement of science and technology is like the flick of a light switch; research may be slow and tedious, but once discoveries are made, they are not long hidden. In contrast, advancement in the ideas of ethics and human values come slowly, like the rising of the sun; there are hints at advancement for a long time before the next step is ready to be made. Because of this, science and technology takes off in leaps and bounds before human values have awakened to find society moving again.

    Read More

  • Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology And Less From Each Other By Sherry Turkle

    1732 Words  | 4 Pages

    For everyone today, technology plays a large part in everyday life. Technology has a wide range of benefits which is a reason technology has become so integral today. Technology has helped from elementary school children, to wealthy CEO’s. However, there is also a camp that thinks we should limit technology because of its negative effects. Frankly, I believe that we are afraid of change. We are afraid of new endeavors, new frontiers to explore; which is why people are so against technology. I think that an unfortunate flaw that humanity possesses is that, everyone calls for change. People call for change but they themselves refuse to change. People call for new technologies to change our lives but when they realize that they themselves are

    Read More

  • Technology of the Drone

    1808 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tice, Brian P. (1991). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles – The Force Multiplier of the 1990s. Airpower Journal.

    Read More

  • Effects of Technology on Sociability

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Albert Einstein once said, “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Technology is a controversial topic, some say we are depending in excess from gadgets and devices. However, if it wasn’t for technology we wouldn’t be able to experience many benefits.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Modern Technology

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is no doubt that the accomplishments made through technology are astonishing. Technology has made amazing impacts on everything from science in space to medical science to the devices we use every day that make our lives easier. People are living longer and better than ever before, but we can’t forget how to live without it. “Just because technology is there and makes something easier doesn’t mean we should rely on it so much that we can’t think for ourselves,” (Levinson).

    Read More

  • Modern Economic Growth

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, despite the long-term economic growth, technological progress is very important, and even if we...

    Read More

  • Effect of Technology on Modern Society

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    The evolution of technology has changed society in both positive and negative ways. People all over the world use and benefit from modern technology. Technology has simplified the access to many tools people need in education, medicine, communication, transportation, etc. However, using it too often has its drawbacks as well. In most cases, the time of finishing projects is cut by more than half with the help of technology. Many people do not realize that technology has its negative affects society as well, and its rapid advances has changed life for worse in a number of different ways.

    Read More

  • Modern Warfare and Technology:

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s modern world, faster and faster are the world’s strongest nations developing new and advanced technologies for the future. Where they all start is in the government’s military field, where they search, and discover new innovations every day.

    Read More

More about Unmanned Military Weapons Systems and the Future of Warfare

Open Document