April, 25 2011
TED– The future of war also is featuring a new type of warrior. And it’s actually redefining the experience of going to war, you can call this a cubicle warrior. This is what one Predator drone pilot described of his his experience fighting in the Iraq war, while never leaving Nevada, quote, “You’re going to war for 12 hours, shooting weapons at targets, directing kills on enemy combatants and then you get in the car and you drive home, and within 20 minutes you’re sitting at the dinner table talking to your kids about their homework.” Now the psychological balancing of those experiences is incredibly tough. And in fact those drone pilots have higher rates of PTSD than many of the units physically in Iraq.
Peter Warren Singer is the director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution — where his research and analysis offer an eye-opening take on what the 21st century holds for war and foreign policy. His latest book, Wired for War, examines how the US military has been, in the words of a recent US Navy recruiting ad, “working hard to get soldiers off the front lines” and replacing humans with machines for bombing, flying and spying. He asks big questions: What will the rise of war machines mean to traditional notions of the battlefield, like honor? His 2003 book Corporate Warriors was a prescient look at private military forces. It’s essential reading for anyone curious about what went on to happen in Iraq involving these quasi-armies.
Read more and see an interactive transcript about PW Singer on military robots and the future of war.
© 2011 TED
