Unmanned weapons: The future and the fear
Ever sice the days of Flash Gordon on the radio people have thought of robots and space probes and all manner of automated machines. Specifically in the realm of science fiction this has been even more true. And science fiction is filled with thoughts of such automation going beserk, or worse becoming self-aware and angry at it’s human creators.
But stepping away from the important rules of Issac Asimov or the flights of fantasy that is the Matrix, there is a reality that is begining to take shape. It’s not the world of the Terminator coming to life (at least we would hope not) but something far more accessible and deadly. It’s a progression that has 2 flaws, both of which are a deadly problem.
In recent years we have moved from technology as a support to the military, to the creation of UAV’s. There is no question that these devices have helped save lives and allowed unknown numbers of dangers to be prevented or stopped in thier tracks. In fact they are so successful that the next step is a logicval one. Unmanned Helicopters.
Unmanned Black Hawk helicopters is the current concept of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Within m onths a prototype is expected to be made and assuming that demonstrates all the required guidelines mass production could be made in just a few years. The media will undobtedly proclaim this as a tool to save lives in hostile zones. And I have no doubt that it will.
But in making unmanned weapons we are following a tradion tht has been going on for millenia. We are making war easier to commit to and to execute. There is little difference between an unmanned Black Hawk and a rifle 200 or 300 years ago. It creates a seperation between those fighting the war, it makes it “more humane”.
Except that everytime a greater degree of seperation occurs, the numbers of those that die in any conflict increases. In the ancient past people fought with swords, spears and bows. The people normally killed were soldiers (though there were more than a few towns wiped out as well), which was a small portion of the population of any area outside of the Spartans. With the creation of guns, tens of thousands could be employed on a battlefield with roughly the same degree of ability to kill each other. The act of killing a combatant became less direct, and in some cases might not be seen immediately.
Then there were planes, which allowed for even more deaths and a exponential degree of disconnection. This was followed by the use of rockets and then nuclear bombs. Our world today lies on the brink of destruction, with various goups no more than a blip on a computerscreen to be removed.
But nukes are too good at what they do. The land is rendered unusable, and the toll too high. It is using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. Thus the unmanned vehicles have grown in popularity.
A UAV allows for a videogame approach to war. There is no connection to those killed. There is no unalterable damage made to the land being fought on/over. It’s cheap and easy. Theoretically, a kid could run a complete air wing with about the same level of difficulty as an Xbox game. And if it can be done for a Black Hawk, why not a tank?
The concept of unmanned vehicles means everyone will want them. And the more weapons that exist, the more people will want to use them. Especially if they have no contact with those the war affects. Which means more wars, in more places, perhaps even at the same time. And ultimately that means more people actively involved, because an unmanned whatever cannot take control of a city, building, whatever.
Unmanned weapons only sound less destructive and deadly. But they facilitate war too much, make it too easy to do with too little consequence for those that do so. I am no fool, there will never be a return to a time of swords and militaries of the ancients. But we don’t need to advance the game to a point where it all becomes just a game. War is more than that, and we never should lose that perspective.
But if we do lose the perspective, and we do fight the wars with these unmanned weapons of technology… what happens next? Does the world of Terminator, or Blade Runner, or a less fantastical Stealth become a reality? Laugh if you like to, but yes they all are potential options.
The less people are involved with the direct consequences of war, the worse war becomes. At least in my opinion.
