As we progress through the 21st Century and since Al-Qaeda and its Islamic knockoffs and fellow travellers have failed to allow the big arms contractors to kick off a new Cold War scale arms spending spree, the future of warfare looks to have an even heavier focus on cutting costs, both in terms of finances and politically by reducing the number of casualties (for us the "good guys" of course, the more deaths inflicted on the evil barbarians the better).
Behold the entire border area can be considered a large military testing range for the weapons of the future.
The most prolific "revolution" is probably going to be in the use of Drone devices as they have provided a number of loopholes for the Obama Administration in its continuation of the Afghan War, especially on the North West Frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Though Drone strikes where extremely controversial from the start less troublesome then using fighter jets and helicopter gunships, especially when civilians were killed. If a human had been behind the trigger then the US would have to either turn over there personnel for prosecution in a foreign court (unthinkable) or conduct disciplinary hearings or even a full court martial to not risk another hit in the court of world opinion which could collapse morale, after all they would be doing what they were trained for.
Or I guess not World Opinion can go to hell, "the corps looks after its own" even if that means you'll all hang together in the end.
Of course Drones where still abit risky and it looks like once Pakistani soldiers were killed (remember who really has top billing in Pakistan's Political theatre) Islamabad had reached its final straw.
"In Pakistan, the government continues to ban the NATO supply route into Afghanistan following a deadly attack that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers. While government leaders negotiate a solution to the deadly us policies in the region, many local workers have found themselves without a job. The NATO shutdown has exposed how the u-s war machine makes local people dependent on it for wages. Catherine Komp reads for our reporter in Pakistan, who met some of the NATO drivers who are out of work."
But the Obama administration is full speed ahead for drone production with the added flavour of unrestricted Mercenary groups like Blackwater AKA Xe Services AKA Acadami AKA the guys so brutal and uncaring they permanently wrecked the chance for America to get a permanent official troop presence in Iraq after making "immunity" a toxic word.
"Washington had wanted to keep a small training and counter-terrorism presence in Iraq, but US officials were unable to strike a deal with Baghdad on legal issues including immunity for troops."
"President Barack Obama and Pentagon officials unveiled a proposal this morning to shift the US defense strategy over the next decade. Though the details won’t be finalized for another few weeks, the plan is designed to save more than a trillion dollars, and move away from long-term, on-the-ground occupations. But antiwar activists and national security experts are concerned about increased drone warfare, the planned build-up in the Pacific, and the unchecked increase of private defense contractors. FSRN’s Alice Ollstein reports from Washington."
And to think that there's a large constituency of Americans (impossible to tell how big they could just be using alternative accounts) where Obama is considered a bleeding heart Liberal Dove, though to be fair that group overlaps considerably with the group advancing the theory that hes a secret Muslim, or still born in an evil foreign land laughable considering even the "radical" fringe of the Republicans are now sitting that wild goose chase out.
But its not just Muslim tribes men who have to watch out for these drones -or fighting machines as I like to call them- we in the civilised West have to watch out for them.
From FSRN.
"The United States’ use of drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other nations overseas has drawn much criticism for civilian deaths and a lack of accountability, but even less is known about the drones used within US borders. The digital privacy advocate Electronic Frontier Foundation is trying to change that, by suing the Department of Transportation for failing to disclose who is operating the drones domestically and how they are being used. FSRN's Alice Ollstein reports from Washington."
And its not just the uncoof Yanks to blame, us sophisticated moderation loving Europeans are in on the act too. Especially France.
From Dassault the company that brought Gaddafi the Mirage Jet, its sleek it sexy and you wont know its there until the sound of the missile hurtling towards you blowsout your eardrums.
Now of course the fact that police forces are getting a bunch of shiny new toys for surveillance makes me naturally unnerved as I am familiar with the use and abuse of the current generation of monitoring gadgets employed by the thin blue line. But practically speaking it does make sense in certain context to use mini surveillance drones. But it really needs to be subject to monitoring and scrutiny to make sure that A: it never goes beyond tracking and spying, and B: Its only used against the genuine criminal element (traffickers, organised gangs, missing persons investigations etc.) and not against the annoying enviro hippies, or political unpopular movements and subversives. Becuase once that line is crossed its not long before
This
Turns into this.
Look at it, its like a shiny little hummingbird, only this bird has no soul.
Of course the proliferation of war, more deaths and infringing on civil liberties are short term problems. As the technology gets more advanced, the Drones more sophisticated and capable of linking with each other then its only a matter of time before they rise up and start a war against mankind itself. Don't believe me? just read any science fiction book ever made by any author in any language about what happens when machines replace soldiers on the battlefield, Every Single Time. It may take them awhile but that just means we'll be more complacent about it and less prepared when the death strike comes. I mean its not like the three laws will save us the whole point of these machines is to break the first one "A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."
You want further proof? Skynet the villainous master computer from the Terminator films that started a nuclear war and enslaved humanity? well its real.
This is what I see every time I go to sleep, and it could very easily become our future. You have been warned Humanity do what you will with this message, but you've been warned.
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