America is going to change the direction of future wars, robot fighters will get rid of enemies like Russia-China

In the changing global scenario, major changes are taking place due to technology. Due to these changes, it is believed that future wars will not be fought in the field like traditional wars. In view of this possibility, various countries are making changes in their defense preparedness according to the needs of today and the coming future. Along with this, it is also being thought globally that instead of keeping a large army, emphasis should be laid on keeping it small and modern. The steps taken by America for this are expected that other countries can also move forward on that path. Let us tell you that US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has said in an important announcement that her country’s army is planning to start using thousands of autonomous weapon systems in the next two years in view of China’s growing power. In the last decade or so, military systems capable of independent operation at various levels have become increasingly common. But the US announcement makes it clear that the future of warfare has changed and that the era of combat robots has arrived, meaning that the time has come to turn an old idea into reality.

Let us tell you that in the last decade, there has been a significant development of advanced robotic systems for military purposes. Many of these are based on converted commercial technology, which itself has become more efficient, cheaper and more widely available. More recently, attention has shifted to experiments on how best to use them in combat. Furthermore, the Russia-Ukraine war has shown that technology is ready to play a role in warfare. The robotic aerial vehicle has been widely used in the Russia-Ukraine war to locate and attack armored vehicles and artillery. Attack drones of the Ukrainian Navy have crippled Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, preventing its warships from moving out of port. Therefore, the time has come to deploy the military robots which were once thought of.

But the question arises that how, when and where will it be deployed? US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has given the answer in her speech. He has announced that the new Replicator program will introduce hundreds of thousands of responsible autonomous systems across multiple domains within the next 18 to 24 months. ‘Autonomous’ refers to a robot that can carry out complex military operations without human intervention. Furthermore, ‘attributable’ means that the robot is cheap enough to afford to risk and lose it on a high-priority mission. Such a robot is not designed to be fully degradable (disposable), but it would be very economical so they could be bought in large numbers and offset war losses. Further, ‘multi-domain’ refers to the deployment of robots on land, sea, in the air and in space. In short, robots can be deployed everywhere for all kinds of tasks.

Talking in more detail about the robot mission, it is clear that for the US military, Russia is a ‘serious threat’ and China is also an ‘increasing challenge’. Therefore, America’s priority is to strengthen its military capabilities against China. Let us tell you that the People’s Liberation Army of China has more men, more tanks, more ships and more missiles etc. On the other hand, the US may have better quality equipment than China, but China wins in terms of the number of troops and defense equipment. So the Replicator program will now help America win potential future wars, by rapidly building thousands of ‘attributable autonomous systems’.

In addition, the US believes that China’s stance on Taiwan has the potential to escalate tensions into conflict. In such a situation, robots can be decisive for America in suffocating any major Chinese invasion. Apart from this, America is thinking ahead. In fact, the aim of the Replicator campaign is to create a new defense business by mass producing robots for a long period of time.

As far as this new and big step of America is concerned, it is clear that if America moves forward on this path, then it can be the first country to deploy a large number of autonomous systems. But it is not that other countries will be far behind. China is also believed to be making fighting robots. Therefore, China cannot be underestimated, as it has expertise in artificial intelligence and combat drone production. Let us also tell you that most of the technology of autonomous military drones is widely available. There have also been recent reports of autonomous weapon systems being deployed by Libya and Israel and some other countries. Not only this, Turkish-made drones have proved crucial in the Ukraine war. Australia is also deeply interested in the possibilities of autonomous weapons. The Australian Defense Force is today building the MQ-28 Ghostbat autonomous fast jet air vehicle, armored vehicles with robotic systems, robotic logistics trucks and robotic submarines. He is using the Bluebottle robotic sailboat for maritime border surveillance in the Timor Sea. An Australian company, SYPAQ, is sending several of its cheap, cardboard drones to Ukraine.

However, after the announcement by the US Deputy Defense Minister, discussions are going on whether a new brave army is being created. Along with this, some concerns have also emerged during the discussions regarding this. Indeed, a major concern about autonomous systems is whether their use can be consistent with the laws of armed conflict? Optimists argue that robots can be carefully programmed to follow rules because they can follow rules better than humans in the heat and confusion of a fight. On the other hand, pessimists object, saying that not all situations can be predicted and that robots may misunderstand and attack, which should not happen. Let us also mention here that in earlier autonomous military systems, both the Phalanx close-in point defense gun and the Patriot surface-to-air missile performed poorly, to the detriment of all. Well… it will be interesting to see how robots fight the wars of the future?

-Neeraj Kumar Dubey