French and US Army's dilemma Between Athena and Ares: Keep a Sense of Humanity in a Technological Warfare?
Abstract
The United States and French Armies have experienced a decade of war. The operations turned from a technology driven target process to a human approach in counter-insurgency fighting. In both approaches, these armies deployed in operations many assets enabling operators to fight from a stand-off position, perceiving the enemies through many sensors. These technologies could modify the relationships between soldiers and their adversaries and be a potential transition to an era during which western fighters could get impunity in combat. In fact, these armies look for fielding ground unmanned assets and lethal autonomous robots in a distant future. Thus, this thesis tries to analyze the possible trends of the French and US Armies' current perception of their enemies on the ground. To answer this question, a survey and two interviews emphasize the possible effects of virtuality on the battlefield, of simulation in training as well as video gaming. The study also defines how soldiers learn from their enemies, understand them and evaluate the ethical consequences of this future change. Lastly, considering current military education, this paper formulates some potential lessons which could be inserted in officers school's curriculum in order to prepare future Army leaders to deal with these innovations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 13, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA611840
Entities
People
- Etienne Krier
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College