TECHNOLOGY AND THE MILITARY

There is an old saying that when it comes to war, “if you want to be the best, you have to be equipped with the best.” As one reporter so eloquently stated, the age old definition of going to war has changed in our lifetime. Every day, governmental scientist, engineers and theorist work towards creating technological breakthroughs that will advance the military and protect our country. Billions of dollars are spent yearly for the creation and implementation of high tech vehicles, equipment, structures, weapons, medicines, training and communication systems. Military Technology examines how armed forces merge with the Digital Age, impacting us as consumers, investors, taxpayers, and ultimately as the defended. According to P.W Singer author of Wired for War, and an expert in military technology “technology is fundamentally changing warfare, whether we fully understand the impact or not”. In essence, technology has transformed the way in which the military fights, protects, and serves our country via digital revolutionary tools such as virtual training and robotics. The days of just putting on a uniform, picking up a weapon and going to the battlefield is no longer valid due to the advancement of technology. For example, as we speak, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’S) are being used to carry out our wars remotely. Take a look at these short Frontline snippets which illustrates this phenomenon:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/waging-war/remote-control-war/taking-out-the-taliban-home-for-dinner.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/waging-war/immersion-training/virtual-training.html?play

With the continued progression of technology and the fast track of the digital world, it makes it terrifying to think what technologies other militaries across the world may have access to and how it could possibly be utilized to our demise.

Not only has technology in the Military redefined war but it has also steered some of the technology that we as civilians access today. “Military technology has historically found new applications in civilian life. While wars are devastating to the civilians caught in the middle, they also push technological advancements that benefit civilians long after their conclusion, from Roman roads built to speed troop transit to the Internet, which was initially developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as ARPANET (Jay Stowsky, Spin Off to Spin On).” After providing us with a remarkable tool/asset such as the internet and considering the internet’s life changing effect on our world with the creation of new media, can you imagine what technological sensation military technology might release to us next and the impact that this technology will have on new media?