The Future Combat System, a tank-system developed by the United States, is currently in development. It would come equipped with smart weapons, laser cannons and multi-purpose rockets. It would also feature extended surveillance. It would ultimately be digitally independent of the logistics chain. The FCS will perform all functions of military arms combined into one. The future military will need significant changes in doctrine, command and control, inter-service relationships, and other aspects.
Future warfare will combine industrial age and knowledge-based warfare
In this century, technology is advancing at an incredible pace. The tools of warfare are constantly changing, from AI and robotics to bio- and nanotechnology, to computing, and processing. These technologies are being used for a wide range of purposes, including guerilla attack and precision weaponry. Non-state armed actors will continue being attracted to military weaponry by state sponsorship, blackmarket arms sale, and looting. For destructive weapons, commercial technologies may also be used. These technologies could be used in crude weapons of mass destruction. Others may be used in information-based weapons to make cyber and biological weapons.
New technologies are constantly evolving and could be used against the United States. Cyberspace is a powerful tool for criminal and terrorist groups. The possibility of this happening is frightening. These new technologies are available to non-state actors, which allows them to pursue weaponization with no public opposition. Also, it is possible that military experiments will be conducted in areas like human enhancement.
There are potentially lethal autonomous weapons that could roam the battlefield
Artificial intelligence opens the way to fully autonomous, lethal weapons that could totally eliminate human control. The medical community has long advocated against the development of lethal weapons, advocating total bans on chemical and nuclear weapons, and non-governmental organizations have called for a legally binding ban on autonomous weapons. However, the medical community has not been a prominent voice in the debate on autonomous weapons.
Some nations have already begun to investigate the use of artificial intelligence within their weapons. They believe that such technology will help them to target enemy fighters more effectively, deactivate them when their targets are not being met, and reduce the risks involved in intensive attacks. Activists have called for the United Nations ban on lethal autonomous weapons.
Cost of crewed options to autonomous weapons
The cost of autonomous weapons is a major concern. Because they do not require human life and can be mass produced, autonomous weapons should be less costly than manned ones. Additionally, defense autonomous weapons should have a lower cost than offensive ones. Defensive autonomous weapons are less mobile than offensive weapons, making them more affordable. To impose higher costs on states that are attacking, defending countries may use more of these weapons.
By reducing the need for soldiers, autonomous weapons could reduce the cost of human soldiers. While fully autonomous weapons remain decades away, there is already a variety of precursors that are similar to them. Some militaries have begun to develop drone swarms that can target air defenses of enemy aircraft. These drones can easily overwhelm air defenses and ensure the safety of manned planes. The net effect from autonomous weapons could depend on several factors, including the significance of the application as well as the reliability of system.
Proliferation risks from militarily relevant technologies
International security can be threatened by the proliferation of militarily relevant technology. These technologies may be used offensively to escalate conflict or possibly cause an accident nuclear accident. Many of these technologies were used in the creation of military systems such as unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.
WMD proliferation is a serious threat to the United States, world peace and security, and the United Nations. In addition to North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, other nations have increasingly sophisticated ballistic missiles and continue to proliferate them to regional proxies and terrorist organizations. Russia and China have also been rapidly developing weapons and are providing more advanced weapons for their regional partners.