Military Robots: Controversy And Society

Singer describes Iraq operations as they were being performed in 2008 with the threat of Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs. “The Explosive Ordnance Disposal, EOD, teams were tasked with defeating this threat, roving about the battlefield to find and defuse the IEDs before they could explode and kill.” 3 Robots such as Packbot and Talon were used to disarm IEDs which save lives of Soldiers and civilians. The proliferation of technology in the battlefield can be seen in today’s combat environment on the ground, sea and air and will continue to grow. He states that “man’s monopoly of warfare is being broken” because digital weapons such as Packbot, Talon, SWORDS, Predator, Global Hawk and many others are a “sign” that “we are entering the era of robots of war.” 4 He supports his theory of the proliferation of technology in weapons by looking at industry growth by providing quantifiable data of rapid growth in industry to meet demands. As he states “in 1999, there were nine companies with federal contracts in homeland security. By 2003, there were 3,512. In 2006, there were 33,890.” 5 Mr. Singer then provides a history of robots, trends, and what we can expect in the future. The book also provides a glimpse of what the author believes can be expected on future battlefields and changes that he thinks U.S. policy makers and military leaders need to address. Some of the changes that can be affected concern law of war, robots role in war, level of robot authority to fight wars and robot

Public Intelligence, a non-profit that advocates for free access to information, released a map of military UAV activities in the United States on Tuesday. Assembled from military sources €" especially this little-known June 2011 Air Force presentation (.pdf) - it is arguably the most comprehensive map so far of the spread of the Pentagon 's unmanned fleet. What exact missions are performed at those locations, however, is not clear. Some bases might be used as remote cockpits to control the robotic aircraft

Drone Warfare; Summary and Overview This essay consists of a thorough analysis and overview on the book titled Drone Warfare by John Kaag and Sarah Kreps. Drone Warfare covers the political, juridical, and ethical aspects of remotely piloted aircrafts known as drones. The book touches on the political ramifications that the United States’ drone program causes and the general public’s opinion on drones. Drone Warfare also talks about the relationship between the drone program and international laws.

Robotics is a rather large field with limitless capabilities, but there is one place in particular that robotics can have the highest impact, and that is security. Securing our military bases , be it forward operating bases, outposts, or even our garrison areas have become a major issue over the last decade and countless lives have been lost in doing so but with the use of robotics we can make it safer. Using robotics in base security will allow the United States Army to make massive changes in force employment and the Signal Corps already has the tools necessary to make this happen with a little help from the outside world.

Drones are sometimes thought of as robots. Flying machines in the air with no presence of life. With these thoughts out there the government needs to push a media awareness campaign to the public to educate. Most people think of robots as portrayed in the movies. The public needs to be aware these aircraft are not autonomous beings. In his book, Killer Robots: Legality and Ethicality of Autonomous Weapons, author Armin Krishnin suggests we prohibit “self-learning” to avoid a “Terminator scenario” (154). A media campaign may not only give a sense of knowledge to the general public, but it may also ease the fears of privacy concerns involved with their use. The media blitz has begun as stated in a Time.com

September 11, 2001: one of the most grueling days in the history of the United States, the biggest terrorist attack on American soil. Not only did these attacks destroy symbols of America and take the lives of innocent workers, family members, heroes, and friends, but they sparked the discussion of public safety pitted against personal security in the country. On October 7, 2001, President George W. Bush administered the first use of drones in the fight against terrorism. The controversial topic has left many Americans asking themselves the crucial question: Should the United States continue using drone strikes against terrorists? The morality and effectiveness of drones has prompted discussions in the fight against terrorism on the homefront. The United States should continue to use drone strikes to fight in the war against terrorism as it is an ethical strategy in order to save the lives of many Americans.

The U.S. military has been, and remains, a world leader in remote targeted killings ever since the fateful events of September 11, 2001. The drone has become dominant in U.S. national security strategy, which has switched from counterinsurgency in the city to counterterrorism from the skies. Now, as the world yearns for the next big thing to change everyday life, mankind turns his gaze to artificial intelligence used to carry weapons of war. For these reasons, drone usage should be limited for the general public in the United States.

Military drones have been very useful for the past few years, now things begin to change as the years pass by. Drones have changed warfare a lot during the years and yet to change more. There is a drone called X-47B this drone does not need a pilot it can fly and land by itself. The drone has a wingspan of 62 feet it is one of the most largest fighter jets and can carry 4,500 pounds of bombs. This drone is being developed by the Navy. The X-47B is not perpetual it still needs to land and refuel from time to time, it can also be remotely controlled by ground operators. It is one of the four competitors in the US Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike System which is also known as UCLASS. Its competitors are the Sea ghost and

Drones are considered aircraft designed to operate without a pilot by either a remote control computer system or other platform. Considering the history of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), the technology was first primarily developed with a focus on military use. Such technology was attractive to military branches within the U.S because it offered an efficient and affordable tool

An unmanned/unpiloted aerial vehicle does not require a remote control for operation. For that reason, it is typically part of military training missions and aerial maneuvers. Before taking flight, this type of drone receives programmable flight instructions that takes the drone from the point of lift-off to the landing spot by traveling through a specific flight path. A UAV often resembles a small model plane in appearance.

Drone warfare is the most humane and efficient way of the modern age, a safe and efficient counter to guerilla warfare. With the ability to be unmanned, stealthy, low cost, low casualty rating, and versatile armament at the drone’s disposal, drone warfare should be an active part of the US military. Although some criticism to drone warfare being inhumane, a useless resource of our technology, and past mistakes of drones before, the pros outweigh the cons of the debate.

Despite the cost, drones have become a vital part of modern American warfare because of their ability to precisely target threats and remove the emotions of military away from the battlefield. Drones have become both appropriate and necessary pieces of technology as the United States continues to fight the war on terrorism. This new technology allows for improvements in warfare as it reduces harm to all individuals involved. Unlike other mechanisms previously used in war, drones are used as a means of self-defense for our country but do not put the lives of our soldiers at risk, as they are unmanned aerial vehicles. Because drones are unmanned, they have the ability to limit excessive civilian casualties and pose less of a risk to the soldiers

A Robotic Minesweeper stopped a bomb that killed thousands of troops. It is a normal military vehicle with a mine roller that can clear convoys without a human driver. A module containing software and multiple sensors could work with other vehicles, this technology could make any military vehicle into a robot that will be able to work tirelessly through the rain, snow, dust, and darkness. The robotic vehicles would play many roles for the military in supply convoys, airfield construction, and similar operations. So, the U.S. military will have supply convoys that are mostly robotic vehicles like minesweepers and supply trucks.(Hsu)

It is not widely known that the UAV ideology began long before the GWOT, but in the past two decades the UAV has become more of a reality with widespread uses. “In February 2001, the first hellfire missile was tested from a predator UAV” (Callam, 2010 para. 7). As everyone who is old enough can remember that later in 2001 the terror attacks on September 11, 2001 jolted the U.S. into the GWOT. The demand for unmanned systems skyrocketed because of the challenging battlefields that U.S. forces found themselves fighting in. Through the advancement of the GWOT over the past decade and a half the UAV ideology has thrived and demonstrated its roll in the military fighting force through surveillance and reconnaissance, attack missions, and through cargo transportation. Although the attack roll of the UAV has been widely publicized, scrutinized and is the face of modern warfare, as we now know it today, UAVs have shown a promising niche in the civilian realm as well. As reported by uasvision.com (2013) the U.S. Marine Corp has been utilizing unmanned K-MAX helicopters in Afghanistan since early 2012 to deliver external cargo loads up to 4,500 pounds to their remote operating bases and since the program began the two K-MAX helicopters have delivered 3.2 million pounds of cargo (p.1). This type of technology enables the military to eliminate many hazards and unnecessary risks of resupply by removing ground convoy operations as well as aerial resupply with piloted

“Killer Robots” - or, officially, “Lethal Autonomous Robots” (LARs), are robots that - once activated - can operate without any further human intervention. This new weapons system is capable of identifying and attacking a human target on its own. Delegates should note that these robots differ from non-autonomous, armed robots, or peaceful, autonomous