How Has Technology Changed The Face Of Warfare?
Technology has changed the face of warfare. Today, technological advancement has enlarged the battle space, increased the lethality of weapons and enabled greater precision. In other words, technological advancement has sold this idea that war can be won with minimal casualties and collateral damage. As a result, in place of human beings, we are starting to see an increased use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), drones and robots in today’s wars. This phenomenon is picking up pace today to the extent where some might argue that the future of warfare will be one that will see a progressive reduction in human involvement and a corresponding increase in the use of robotics. This phenomenon has led to speculations that, in the future, human beings will be divorced from warfare as a result of technological advancement. This is a misconception because such speculation is a manifestation of a misunderstanding of warfare and a misread of
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At the front line, while it may be true that the battles of tomorrow may be fought more between robots than humans, one should not go away with the idea that technology is the cause of it. The root cause is due to an increased desire to reduce casualties and to minimize collateral damage. The growing influence of information technology in warfare has expanded the battle space and seeded the idea that combat in the 21st century has transited from ‘battle of wills’ to ‘battle of ideas’. One consequence of such transition is that there is a need to sell this idea that war can be won ‘on the cheap’. As such, there will be a growing tendency for humans to leverage heavily on technology to minimize loss of human lives, avoid collateral damage and yet still being able to achieve the objectives. The US use of drones in Yemen and Afghanistan is a good example of using technology to striking strategic targets and avoiding boots on the
At the front line, while it may be true that the battles of tomorrow may be fought more between robots than humans, one should not go away with the idea that technology is the cause of it. The root cause is due to an increased desire to reduce casualties and to minimize collateral damage. The growing influence of information technology in warfare has expanded the battle space and seeded the idea that combat in the 21st century has transited from ‘battle of wills’ to ‘battle of ideas’. One consequence of such transition is that there is a need to sell this idea that war can be won ‘on the cheap’. As such, there will be a growing tendency for humans to leverage heavily on technology to minimize loss of human lives, avoid collateral damage and yet still being able to achieve the objectives. The US use of drones in Yemen and Afghanistan is a good example of using technology to striking strategic targets and avoiding boots on the