Weapons: The Future of WarBY NICHOLAS NG

HON 301

PROFESSORS EDUARDO MENDIETA AND FREDERICK WALTER

Old Methods of War Hand to hand combat Bladed weapons such as

swords, spears, pikes Projectile weapons mostly

used in siege warfare Very messy!

The Current State of Arms Discovery of gunpowder-

explosives fueled projectiles Small arms changed from blades

to guns Today, almost universally fueled

by gunpowder or explosive chemicals

Tactical Evolution

Siege warfare – essentially nonexistent; too costly in manpower terms

Guerilla-style tactics – much more prevalent on the ground

Heavier emphasis placed on taking actual humans out of harm’s way while fighting

General Characteristics of New Weapons Designed for efficiency Some used to incapacitate or otherwise

disable enemy combatants instead of killing themEither hindering the actual personnel or

their vehicles Emphasis on lethality to enemies with

minimal risk to allies

Acoustic weapons – The “Sound Cannon” Used to incapacitate humans without

killing them using sound waves Can be used to broadcast vocal

commands or used to direct a sound beam at a distance

Problems: Can cause permanent damage to humans despite being non-lethal

Electromagnetic weapons – railguns

US Navy recently mounted and test-fired a railgun on one of their warships; the project was begun in 2005

Launches solid projectiles using electromagnetism instead of gunpowder or chemicals with a much faster speed(4500 MPH) and range

Problems: Electricity generation and storage, heat management, material lifespan

Light-based weapons – weaponizing lasersUS Navy tested a laser weapon

on board a warship; mostly used in defense against aerial threats

Variant developed by Lockheed Martin able to disable a truck’s engine

Problems: Heat efficiency, line of sight, environmental issues, requires a lot of energy

Development of a new area of war – Cyber Warfare The growing importance of the

Internet and online servers for storing information has led to the development of tools to wage a bloodless war online

DDoS Attacks – Can be used on anyone, is relatively easy to run an attack with; some of the most common attacks

Hacking into infrastructure such as power grids or information storage

More on Cyber Warfare Obviously not directly harmful to

humans Governments are building their own

“digital armies” to both protect themselves and strike back against cyber attackers

Does not have to be targeted towards the government or its infrastructure-Cyberterrorism Hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment Attack on governmental social media

accounts

Where can we go from here? Enhancement of already-existing weapons

Further development of unmanned weapons Lethality of weapons in development

Railguns can already be lethal; lasers tested for disabling vehicles but can be used in antipersonnel role

Tactical evolution: Likely to continue on its current path Move more towards fighting online than in person What happens when we send only robots to do our

fighting?

New Weapons? Recent rise in guerilla warfare-

weapons designed more for this type of battle such as traps

Focus on removing human soldiers from potential harm Autonomous ground battle robots Further development of drones Potential problems: Differentiating

between friend, foe, and noncombatant; possibility of nations more willing to fight if soldiers are not in danger

References http://thebulletin.org/stopping-killer-robots-and-other-future-threats8012 http://www.techrepublic.com/article/inside-the-secret-digital-arms-race/ http://ctnsp.dodlive.mil/files/2014/03/Cyberpower-I-Chap-19.pdf http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2013/cyber/timeline/EN/index.htm http://gizmodo.com/what-is-the-lrad-sound-cannon-5860592 http://science.dodlive.mil/2014/04/09/here-comes-the-boom-the-real-railgun-of-the-u-s-nav

y/

http://faculty.kfupm.edu.sa/EE/husainm/EE%20340/Research%20Projects/Students%20Reports/6-%20Railguns-%20Al-Khaldi.pdf

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/news/press-releases/2015/march/ssc-space-athena-laser.html

http://www.northropgrumman.com/AboutUs/AnalysisCenter/Documents/pdfs/Operational_Implications_of_La.pdf

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-015 http://www.onr.navy.mil/~/

media/Files/Fact-Sheets/35/Electromagnetic%20Railgun_Dec%2029%202014.ashx