Modern Warfare: Not the Game

When we think of modern warfare we think of high rates of fire, big guns, night vision, laser sights, and all sorts of other stuff that’s now possible due to modern technology. This type of modern warfare may not be so modern after all. The first world is moving further and further away from using these inventions. Why? You ask, because we are moving on and perfecting the next step, internet/cyber attacks, unmanned aerial vehicles, and all sorts of other technologies we are perfecting overseas right now. With these new ways to wage war we need to redefine what is acceptable and lay new ground rules for a completely new way of battling.

Our pre digital age ethics are going to become obsolete and we need a new set of rules. We currently “try” to follow the just war doctrine which uses war as a last case option with no other choice. Some are debating the ethics of starting preemptive wars to prevent human bloodshed. Say before a war breaks out, one country will cripple another by disabling their technologies. This would reduce or eliminate bloodshed all together if the attack is well planned. This may save lifes but would actually be starting a war possibly before anything happens, this war might never even end.

The main concern is the moral issue, we are more and more reliant on technology as the days go on. If countries were fighting this type of war it would not be an all-out war with lots of bloodshed but instead would be an ongoing technology battle with each side crippling the other and jamming their systems at any chance they could. Because were all connected we are all vulnerable and there needs to be rules set up so we feel safe when were not in a war. No one should fear of all their info getting stolen online or their company shutting down because there were cyber attacks from another country during peace time. We also need to make sure because we are a superpower that we don’t unfairly use our technology against other nations during peacetime.

 In 2004 the U.S. had 150 robotic weapons in use, now the U.S. currently has over 12,000 and the number is constantly growing. If we continue to use these we are risking less American lives which is a good thing but we need to still consider that some of these robots are designed to kill. These robots will not be held accountable or have regret but take life with the push of a button. These devices should never be used outside of wartime to threaten or kill.