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Kenneth Doyle English 101 Professor Bolton 21 November 2013 The Cohabitation of War and Technology The evolution of warfare and technology has become synonymous with each other. With the ever-changing tactics in war, the need for advanced technology is rapidly increasing. From Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, to precise laser-guided missiles, and remote controlled robots, combat technology has evolved very rapidly over the past decade. But, with this increasing integration of technology and combat, some people argue that technology is not 100% reliable, and it may lead to unnecessary deaths of American troops, as well as foreign non-combatants at war. For example, in Steven Caseys story, Death on Call, he describes an incident involving a United States Army Special Forces Group. Shortly following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, a United States Army Special Forces Group was deployed to southern Afghanistan, Their broad objectivewas the annihilation of al Qaeda and the defeat of their Taliban hosts (Casey 63). One specific mission involved directing a GPSguided 2,000lb bomb from a B-52 bomber to a nearby Taliban position. The Air Force tactical air controller was in the middle of acquiring the targets grid coordinates, using a Global Positioning System connected to a Special Operations Laser Marker, when the batteries died. The tactical air controller quickly changed the batteries and immediately relayed the target coordinates to the B-52; who was now overhead and waiting to drop the bomb. Unfortunately though, the coordinates that showed on the GPS unit had reset and were no longer showing the coordinates for the target; the coordinates that were relayed were of the U.S. Special Forces own position. This catastrophic mistake resulted in the death of 13 people and wounded over 40 others. Though some people may claim that this incident was due to a failure in the GPS unit, the failure to not recall the enemys position when the batteries were changed,

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the blame should not be placed on the equipment, nor the technology involved, instead, this failure is a direct result of human error and the lack of training/familiarization with the technology being used. Because of the ever-increasing evolution and complexity of weapons technology that is being fielded to the men and women of the military, there is a great need to increase the amount, as well as the quality of training that they receive to operate the new weaponry; by not doing so, The United States military is failing the very people who fight to protect our nation. The use of advanced technology on the battlefield, although potentially dangerous, is essential for the continued success of our nation and will attribute to a safer combat zone for our troops. With this recent integration of advanced technology and warfare, some people argue that the use of said technology will cause troops to become reckless, and will wind up inflicting more damage in war. Because of the technological advancements being made, such as precision-guided bombs, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and remote controlled robots equipped with weapons systems, soldiers are able to place more distance between themselves and the enemy. While the standoff distance does have its benefits, many argue that it can also induce severe consequences. Because soldiers would no longer have to look their enemies in the eye, or actually witness the death and havoc that they wreak upon the opposition, this standoff from the harsh realities of war, can incidentally lead combatants to inflict unnecessary damage. Also, this may lead to the possibility of confusion between friendly forces and enemies, due to the absence of physical presence and personal risk. One unfortunate example of this type of negligence occurred on April 17, 2002. In an article written by Rowan Scarborough for the Washington Times, he describes a friendly-fire incident involving two United States F-16 fighter jets and Canadian ground forces that took place at night just outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The two pilots had been in the air for six hours and were preparing to return to their base in Kuwait when they spotted what they claimed was artillery fire on the ground shooting at them. They then called it in and were told to hold fire and await conformation. One of the pilots, believing that he was being fired upon,

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began evasive maneuvers, and shortly before receiving authorization, he dropped a 500lb bomb on the artillery below. Well unbeknownst to him, The artillery was fire from Canadian ground troops undergoing live-fire trainingin southern Afghanistan (Scarborough). This incident is one example of how the standoff distance may lead to rash decisions and devastating results in the modern day warzone. Though it could be said, that with the progressing technology, the necessity for proper training, as well as absolute positive identification of a target is a necessity. Had the pilots followed the proper procedures and precautions prior to engaging the fire they witnessed, they may have been able to prevent the deaths of innocent friendly forces. Contrary to some naysayers, this incident was not a direct result of the advanced weaponry nor the technology being used, this incident was due the disregard of acquiring positive identification of the target being bombed. It is easy to drop a 500lb bomb on a target thousands of feet below and not have to worry about the consequences, whereas if you were on the ground and did have to witness, first hand, the casualties of the bomb, more precautions would presumably be taken to ensure that the intended target is justified in being destroyed. When used improperly or without due regard for human life, it is easy to misuse this deadly technology, and inflict needless casualties in war. The use of advanced technology in military weaponry must be accompanied by a high respect for the technology as well as knowledge of its capabilities in order for it to be effective. Nonetheless, the benefits of modern technology far surpass its downfalls. More recently, in the Global War on Terrorism, the American soldiers number one threat is the Improvised Explosive Device. An Improvised Explosive Device is defined as an explosive device that is placed or fabricated in an improvised manner; incorporates destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals; and is designed to destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distractIEDs always contain explosive materials, detonators, and triggering mechanisms(National Research Council 2). Due to being very cheap, simple to manufacture, and effective against American ground troops; IEDs have become the weapon of choice

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for Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents. Because of this increased threat, the United States military had vastly increased its budget, spending more than $6.1 billion to counter IEDs in Iraq (Singer20). With the primary concern of keeping ground troops safe, United States military is beginning to intertwine modern technology with warfare. Some examples include the development of robots being used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams; these robots allow a safe standoff distance while diffusing or eliminating an IED threat. The standoff distance mitigates much of the risk that EOD personnel undertake on a daily basis. In a quote from the film, Robot Warriors: The Shape of Armies to Come, the founder of Black-i Robotics, Brian Hart, states, theres no reason Lance Corporals or PFCs should go down roads that arent inspected, go through doorframes that have insurgents behind them, those events can be prevented with low cost, reasonably, accessible technology (Robot Warriors). Brian Hart quit his job and started Black-i Robotics soon after his own son was killed by an IED in Iraq, he wanted to come up with solutions to prevent deaths like his son. I have also experienced, first hand, the benefits of using the EOD robots to diffuse or, more commonly, destroy IEDs that had been buried by Taliban insurgents. My job in the Marine Corps was to utilize my military working dog to detect and locate IEDs while we would move through Afghanistan on foot. When I would find an IED, the EOD team, if time permitted, would utilize a small robot to place explosives on the IED and blow it up, all while keeping a safe distance from the very deadly IEDs. Utilizing robots and similar technology have and will continue to save the lives of our armed forces in hostile areas. With the fairly recent advancements in technology, warfare is forever-changing and evolving, and in order for our nations military to be victorious, they must stay ahead of the technology curve. The next big developments in armed conflict include the use of advanced weapons technology, robots, and unmanned vehicles. Technology has provided the military with advanced weapons systems, which not only make the troops safer, but also allow for a reduced number of troops to complete a mission. In an interview by PBS with Capt. Jason Amerine, he discusses the hardships and difficult events that followed

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the initial insertion in Afghanistan. He explains how difficult their mission was, to destroy Al Qaeda and the Taliban, with so few men. He talks about their first offensive mission, where their group, consisting of 11 special forces soldiers, a bunch of highly motivated, if not untrained guerrillas numbering somewhere between 30 and 60. [It was] difficult to tell at that point -- opposed by maybe a hundred vehicles, maybe as many as 500 men that were coming up there who were probably very angry and really wanted to retake the town (Frontline). Capt. Amerine goes on to discuss how his team dealt with standing against so many men with such a small army himself, My men started to try to organize the guerrillas into some sort a local defense. We didn't have enough people to really defend against a large attack. But our hopes at that point were to stop them with our aircraft anyway (Frontline). Basically, the reason that Capt. Amerine and his men were so successful was a direct result of the air support and the on-the-ground technology involved. Allowing ODA 595 to relay exact enemy coordinates to the supporting gunships flying overhead, the GPS technology provided the pilots overhead with accurate locations of the enemy. Without the precision-guided bombs, ODA 595 and their afghan partners would surely have been overrun and defeated by the overwhelming Taliban forces heading their way. Furthermore, along with robots, the military has introduced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. As The New Market Report explains, In today's context UAV's play an important role in varied missions such as military attacks, border surveillance, mapping, surveying, weather determination and regional law enforcements. The UAV provides troops with a variety of capabilities, such as surveillance aircrafts that can be deployed from a backpack, by troops on the ground, and used to spot enemy locations, snipers on rooftops, or insurgents planting IEDs on frequently traveled routes. Some additional capabilities utilize large UAVs, the size of small passenger planes, operated by pilots safely siting behind a computer 5,000 miles away, somewhere in America, capable of dropping 500lb bombs as well as providing close air support to troops engaged with the enemy in Afghanistan or Iraq. Technology has changed the face of war and is taking steps to further protect our men and women of the armed forces from the dangers

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of war, UAVs have become so-called guardian angels in the sky. A quote by Martin Himel in Robot Warriors, gives a clear example of how this new technology can save lives, he claims that sometimes, not looking the enemy in the eyes, can save, not take away lives. Himel is referring to the use of robots and how, by withdrawing the risk of personal death, robots and UAVs provide the operator with time to evaluate the scenario while utilizing robots in a hostile situation. By utilizing UAVs, pilots remove the possibility of a loss of human life from the equation, meaning there will be less pressure for pilots, by removing the fear of death. This operational risk management will allow the pilots to solely focus on the mission at hand and give them time to consider other factors in say a bombing, factors such as noncombatant casualties and proper target acquisition. In conclusion, while some people may argue that this evolution and increasing integration of technology and warfare can lead to more death and destruction, due to the disconnect from the enemy, as well as the possibility of not valuing life because of this disconnect. The reality is quite the opposite, the benefits of technology far surpass the nominal hazards that it may, or may not, present. Technology has played an important role throughout history, in World War I the machine gun made a big difference, and in World War II, the Atom bomb created the new super powers. In the 21st century, the big factor will be robots. Whichever military has the most sophisticated robots, and the most sophisticated humans operating [that technology], will be the super powers of tomorrow (Robot Warriors). The United States must continue to integrate and advance the technology being fielded to our fighting forces around the world to ensure the safety of our troops, as well as the protection of our nation.

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Works Cited Casey, Steven. Death on Call. The Atomic Chef: And Other True Tales of Design, Technology, and Human Error. Santa Barbara: Aegean Publishing Company, 2006. 63-75. Print. Frontline. Interview with Capt. Jason Amerine. Campaign Against Terror. PBS Frontline, 2002. Web. 17 Oct. 2013. National Research Counsel. Countering the Threat of Improvised Explosive Devices: Basic Research Opportunities. National Academies Press, 2007. ebrary. Web. 27 Oct 2013. New Market Report: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Market (2013-2018). ClickPress 2 July 2013: n.pag. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. Robot Warriors: The shape of Armies to Come. Martin Himel, 2010. Films on Demand. Web. 27 Oct 2013. <http://storm.hgtc.edu:2048/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=3503&x tid=52250>. Scarborough, Rowan. Controller cleared U.S. pilots after friendly fire. The Washington Times (Washington DC) 18 July 2002:A01. Infotrac Newsstand. Web. 22 Oct 2013. Singer, P.W. Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century. New York: The Penguin Group, 2009. Print.