Robots In Warfare?

2054172 · Dec 15, 2009

Here is a link to a good thought or not? Follow the link in the story to read further.

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/robots-to-share-load-in-warfare.htm

2054172 · Dec 16, 2009

I understand that if this is possible, and it will save lives of our soldiers...but there is something uneasy about this possiblity. Takes the personal thing out of war...It seems that war may be waged like a computer game...Already with the modern tanks...who ever types the fastest and gets a lock is the winner. I feel that the real situation will be that the civilians will suffer most
( they already do) when both sides pit their robots agaisnt each other, while the soldiers are in the back safe and sound.

iron mike usmc · Dec 16, 2009

I agree. Removing the human element is a mistake. Reduced risk = reduced effort to curtail or end a conflcit, regardless of the size.

Now, to play devil's advocate, there have been, are, and will be opponents who do not value life; so, anything that can provide greater protection to our forces, while increasing lethality against our opponents is welcome. Coupled with all of this we need to ensure all decision making involving deadly force is in the hands of people, not computers.

PoorOldSpike · Dec 16, 2009

In the Star Trek episode 'A Taste of Armageddon' two civilisations are at war but they don't actually do any fighting, a computer determines casualties and if your number comes up you have to be killed.

Plot- "On Eminiar VII, the Enterprise finds a civilization at war with its planetary neighbor. Unable to discern any signs of battle from orbit, Captain Kirk leads a landing party to the surface where he discovers the entire war is fought by computer. Even though the war is simulated, citizens who are listed as virtual casualties still report to termination booths to be killed for real. After the Enterprise is destroyed in an attack simulation, Kirk must fight to keep his crew from death."

VID- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EshD4PtCSFQ