Research Paper on "Modern Warfare"

Research Paper 5 pages (1516 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Warfare

How Technology Has Changed the Nature of Modern Warfare

"Military technology and strategy are undoubtedly crucial to determining a nation's military behavior," and thus technology plays a huge role within modern warfare today (Jin, 2006). Warfare is heavily dependent on the ever-evolving technologies which continue to shape the world around us. As our technologies change and bring us new luxuries, they also bring new dangers. New advances in technology have ushered in a brand new type of warfare, one which is controlled by a complex system of computers and has even gone as far as space. Overall, technology has been moving the operation of the war far from the context of the battlefield.

Technology has always driven the methods and madness of warfare, both in ancient and modern times. There has always been a strong connection between evolutions in technology and changes in weaponry and strategy. It is clear that "technology shapes warfare, not war" (Roland, 2009). As the technology changes more and more, the weapons become more complicated and the notion of strategy begins to change. As such, within the context of the modern world, "technology defines, governs, or circumscribes warfare. It sets the stage for warfare. It is the instrumentality of warfare" (Roland, 2009). As technology continues to change, so do the methods of warfare itself. It has been one of the most influential factors in the changes that have occurred in how wars are conducted throughout the years. Here, the research suggests that "the tools of war have been evolving slowly throughout the course of human history, but only in the modern world has there been an institutionalized and rationalized mechanism for continuously and systematically innovating military technology" (Roland, 2009). Technology has clearly been a driver for the evolutions of war since the very first wars broke out.

Modern technologies are continuing to change warfare and the ways wars are both thought of and fought over. According to the research, "the last century saw the development of machine guns, tanks, and effective indirect artillery, all which contributed to the destruction of the World Wars, among others" (Gao, 2011). The last few generations has seen immense changes in warfare because of evolutions in technology that drove forward computerized technologies and dangerous weapons that harnessed the power of nuclear energy. According to the research, "World War II was the first war in history in which the weapons in use at the end of the war differed significantly from those employed at the outset" (Roland, 2009). This has continued into the modern era. With so much political tension in the international community, many nations throughout the globe have begun investing heavily into advancements in technology in order to gain a competitive edge against their potential enemies (Jin, 2006). The new wars of the future will undoubtedly be just as strange to us in the present time as the developments of the past were to previous generations.

Technology advancements have changed dramatically, on land, sea, and air. Developments in technologies have led us deeper into the ocean than ever before, but also higher into the sky as well. Technology has spurred the movement into the vast oceans and eventually into the sky itself with air force operations and intricately complex fighter planes. Today, air craft is extremely complex and "armies with air superiority could use bombers to suppress enemy artillery, attack the interior, disable communications, and devastate reserve forces, paving the way for tank-based assaults" (Jin, 2006). Continuing developments show an increasing complexity to modern fighter planes. This has led to the dominance of drone warfare, where aircraft is being driven by people thousands of miles away. Essentially, "drones are vehicles that are either autonomous or controlled by a remote operator (teleported) with no human crew within the vehicle" (Gao, 2011). These are representative of the highly computerized notion that warfare has undergone in just the past few decades. Computers can now replace actual human crews in order to get the job done with greater efficiency and less risk to human life. It has opened up "the possibility of remote-controlled or automated killing" (Gao, 2011). This phases out the idea that an army has to place their own soldiers in jeopardy to commit air strikes against the enemy. Drone warfare has been launched on a wide scale only just recently, although it has been used for years in smaller applications. There research suggests that "by 2009, the Air Force and the CIA were already deploying a drone armada of at least 195 Predators and 28 Reapers inside Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan -- and it's only grown since" (McCoy, 2012). This has dramatically changed the very nature of war craft occurring in the air.

Moreover, developments in technology have caused bomb and artillery weapons have changed dramatically in the past few decades. Nuclear technologies are not exactly new, but are a product of the twentieth century. They have continued to develop in terms of size and practicality of use, with submarines now having full nuclear capabilities. It has been over 60 years since the first nuclear bombs were dropped over the skies of Japan. Luckily, there have been no more dropped since. Yet, nuclear weapons continue to define the nature of modern weaponry and political relations in the international arena. In addition, other computerized technologies have also changed the nature of bombs and other artillery weapons. According to the research, "the newest round of revolutionary military advances is based on information technology (it) and has resulted in powerful new systems, most notably precision-guided weaponry and C4ISR. The introduction of these two new technologies has given offense the upper hand and greatly reduced the costs and dangers of waging war" (Jin, 2006). Guided weapons are extremely efficient and accurate, with much less risk to those who are controlling them at much safe distances. They are very complicated based on the intense software that has been developed to allow them to autonomously find their targets. As such, "precision weaponry also drastically reduces casualties on the battlefield, as new technology enables war to be fought out of sight of the enemy" (Jin, 2006). Just as the use of drones help reduces friendly casualties, so does precision warfare that can take place miles from the actual battlefield. Anti-ballistic technologies have also been developed to combat technological evolutions in modern aircraft. Thus, the technology has not just helped air craft, but also the defensive measures that are used to stop aircraft from being effective in commencing air strikes. Here, the research shows that "several nations are currently developing directed -- energy and kinetic-energy anti-missile systems, although research into laser and particle-beam-directed-energy technology is still in the development stage" (Jin, 2006). Thus, technologies have drastically changed the way that missiles are used in modern warfare.

There have also been incredible developments on land in warfare as well. For example, snipers have been introduced to much more complicated and innovative technologies for which to use in their own unique methods of fighting. As such, "snipers have quietly emerged as one of the most effective but least understood weapons in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan" (Michaels, 2012). Developments in technology used in making complex sniper rifles have since evolved the role of the sniper dramatically. It has allowed snipers to be much more accurate and efficient. Thus, "advancements in technology and training have made them deadlier than in any previous generation" (Michaels, 2012). The weapons used by snipers today are more accurate and powerful, even at extremely far ranges. They use computerized technologies in order to increase the sniper's own natural capabilities as a marksman. The research shows that "in recent years, snipers have been armed with handheld ballistic computers that calculate the effects of air pressure and other atmospherics on a bullet's trajectory. Optics and… READ MORE

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