As the war in Ukraine nears its one-year anniversary with little signs of abating, military analysts are drawing up the balance on how one year of large-scale conventional fighting in Europe has impacted thinking on modern warfare, hoping to draw lessons from the biggest land war in Europe since World War II. Though reports on the death of the tank have been greatly exaggerated, the war has highlighted the vulnerability of more than one weapons system as a multitude of new technologies and armament have made their combat debut.

The war in Ukraine has experienced several major phases: from the initial Russian advances in early 2022, to Ukrainian counter offensives with the aim of taking back lost territory in the summer of 2022, and then to an artillery duel spread across a largely static front since late 2022. During each of these stages, the ability to target enemy troop concentrations, ammunition depots and other high value targets far behind enemy lines has become crucial in gaining the upper hand. 

Artillery and multiple rocket launchers have played a prominent role in Ukraine ever since the outbreak of the War in Donbas in 2014. Especially the latter systems have proven capable of destroying enemy fortifications and breaking up enemy advances using only a few volleys of rockets. Yet precisely this capability is conspicuously lacking, or at least deficient, in the inventories of most NATO member states. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many European countries have over the past year sought to (re)introduce these types of weapons systems into the inventories of their militaries.

It was Russia that entered the war with a significant advantage in artillery firepower. Initially outgunned and outranged along most of the frontline, this situation began to change with the delivery of some 300 Western-made towed howitzers and self-propelled guns and some 40 HIMARS and MLRS rocket systems. These gradually allowed Ukraine to gain a decisive upper hand to the extent that it can be argued that Russian forces have not been able to close the gap since. This disparity has not merely been achieved through the delivery of the gun systems alone, as these systems came alongside an extensive arsenal of precision-guided munitions, scatterable mines and weapons-locating radars. Even if the first are generally considered too expensive for widespread deployment, they have allowed Ukraine to accurately engage high value targets that arguably justify their high production costs. The deployment of artillery-fired mines has seen Russian offensives being stopped dead in their tracks as newly laid minefields form an impassable hindrance in fields that had been cleared just a day ago. Weapons-locating radars for their part have allowed Ukrainian forces to engage in increasingly effective counter-battery fire, in which a radar detects incoming artillery shells and immediately calculates their point of origin. The artillery guns firing these shells can then be targeted and destroyed before they are able to relocate.

The War in Ukraine has also highlighted the need for far larger stockpiles of ammunition than had previously been anticipated for a land war of this intensity. Furthermore an extensive logistics and repair network is required that is capable of repairing sophisticated weaponry that can be prone to frequent breakdowns under the stress of intensive use. 

As in every conflict, it is only a matter of time before your opponent starts implementing solutions to deal with a certain threat. The large-scale use of loitering munitions, which are essentially unmanned drones packed with an explosive warhead that fly themselves into an enemy target, was especially looked at with much anticipation. However, the deployment of U.S.-made Switchblade loitering munitions on the side of Ukraine left much to be desired, and it would ultimately be Russia that first managed to effectively introduce this new mode of warfighting to the battlefield. Video footage of combat operations so far confirms it has used its Lancet loitering munitions to strike close to a hundred Ukrainian targets, amongst which dozens of Western-delivered artillery systems. Ukraine has attempted to mitigate their threat by installing mesh wiring above the location of howitzers, which are especially vulnerable to enemy drones for their inability to quickly redeploy after having fired. Evidently, the seemingly endless cycle of lethal innovation is playing out in real time on Ukraine’s bomb-scarred East.

Attracting more notice than the loitering munitions has been Ukraine’s (and to a more limited degree Russia’s) fleet of small drones used for target acquisition and, increasingly, bombing enemy tanks and positions. Small, agile and extremely difficult to spot, these small contraptions have in many ways exceeded the performance expected of larger drones, albeit operating at far shorter ranges. Especially in this phase, marked by mostly stationary frontlines, the constant harassment by these small systems can make life in trenches at the front a living hell. A myriad of different types are now deployed with integrated armament, ranging from heavy octocopters carrying multiple mortars to tiny models with a single anti-tank weapon, operated from first-person view using special goggles. And their popularity is justified: attrition amongst (particularly Russian) personnel and fighting vehicles from these new tools of war has been anything but insignificant.

Despite appearing stagnant, the conflict is in fact evolving faster than Western militaries are capable of tracking and analysing, let alone incorporating the lessons from. Although legacy armament can and will have a significant impact on the course of the conflict, truly effective tools that match all this war’s needs and particulars will only emerge as it plays out. Or as the legendary Will Rogers observed all the way back in 1929:

“You can’t say that civilization don’t advance, for in every war they kill you a new way.”

L'articolo How rapid innovation in modern warfare has shaped one year of war proviene da InsideOver.

As we progress daily with our lives, our work and our plans for the future, there are many ideas that we come across. The advancement of technology is one area where rapid changes have been made, offering many solutions for people who have been otherwise unable to achieve something valuable or necessary. Technology in today’s world is not only meant to simplify our daily tasks but is also being used to help us break barriers and reach objectives that may formerly have been impossible. However, not all technology is good technology, or in other words, might not result in the best of decisions when given to those most likely to misuse it.

Dependence On Technology

The rapid advancement in technology through wireless services and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped us in ways unimaginable before. Today, we are as dependent on technology as we are on basic utilities like food and water. AI is the main source of these new ideas and one must not forget that this field holds the key for our future progress. Many countries are adopting AI to change the way the world looks at them, with the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and Canada are leading the race in AI. Now one might think what’s the benefit of AI for a nation? The answer is that the main area where these countries and others are planning to use this technology and similar ideas is in weaponry and advanced systems so as to better defend themselves and attain geopolitical dominance. This means investing millions in research, development and execution of advanced AI projects.

The AI Arms Race

Artificial Intelligence today is mostly being used to minimize human errors and go beyond situations that would make everyday life more efficient and independent from external factors. The AI arms race is a very sensitive topic towards which countries pay immense attention. The Pentagon’s budget alone for AI arms stands at a whopping $2 billion. The United States Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper recently stated that arming and advancing the military of the United States through AI is in response to competition brought forward by Russia and China, the two main competitors of the United States in all relevant fields. The United States says that at this point in time, the necessity and priority lies in modernization.

Replacing humans with robots is another point of focus that the United States is rapidly working towards. Hypersonic technologies and weaponizing AI are currently the most important ideas of this new change. A report published by China in 2017 stated that the country is aiming to reach the summit in AI by introducing the technology in weapons through AI-powered guns, advanced computer systems and robots capable of virtually making no mistakes at all. Yes, introducing the technology in weapons may lead to a bigger problem where there will be more competition but at the same time it will reduce the number of lives lost accidentally due to human error. Russia at the same time is also upping its capabilities.

AI Regulation Is Needed

What our systems lack today is sufficient regulation. I believe that if AI is regulated thoroughly, it would help create a safer way to compete and deescalate the arms race. Unrestricted development of such programs will only pave the way for more problems.

The strategies being used by the United States are the ones that have set a benchmark for this new arms race. The United States has the capacity and resources to advance the skills and approach of its military in countless ways. Operations, training, protection and healthcare are all being fitted with artificial intelligence to minimize any potential shortcomings and to give an edge wherever possible. Machine learning, neural networks and computer algorithms are swiftly playing their role in this development which are programmed so as to engage in conflicts with a superior edge in their workings.

Elsewhere in Israel and Russia, the focus has been locked on monitoring and locking potential targets through AI-run systems. Russia is basing its programs on developing autonomous drones and tanks capable of showing great devastation in times of conflicts. While these ideas may seem super-efficient, some experts have questioned the credibility of these rapid advancements. They say that despite modern warfare being a core component of revolutionizing our path towards the future it may have severe consequences.

Artificial Intelligence may be the next best step in getting the massive advantages that we can from a comprehensive revolution and digitalization of technology. Competitive advantage can be gained to make use of opportunities that could not be possible elsewhere. However, an important issue that needs to be addressed is the fact that we as humans must understand that there could be some looming economic, security and social risks that may arise with these new developments. In light of these problems our main focus should be on prevention of bloodshed and using these developments to have a brighter future ahead of us.

L'articolo Artificial Intelligence And Modern Warfare: Necessity Or Exploitation? proviene da InsideOver.

Uranium is a naturally occurring, radioactive heavy metal found in the earth’s crust. It is composed of three isotopes: U-234, U-235, and U-238. Depleted uranium, or DU, is created as a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and is about 60% less radioactive than natural uranium. However, DU retains the same chemical toxicity as natural uranium.

The effects of DU are still far from being completely and uniformly understood. However, it has been strongly suggested that DU could be a contributing factor for a number of illnesses, including cancer. Researchers have also argued that there is a strong correlation between DU environmental exposure and birth defects. DU can enter the human body in four ways: inhalation of DU dust; ingestion of DU-contaminated food or water; embedding of DU shrapnel or dust in a wound; and dermal absorption of DU dust.

DU in modern warfare

For decades, the US Navy, by its own admission, has been conducting war game exercises in US waters that use, amongst other things, weapons that contain DU. DU is extremely dense – about 65% more dense than lead – and is highly pyrophoric, meaning that it ignites spontaneously in the air. The military value of DU ammunition derives from their ability to pierce tanks, armoured vehicles, and reinforced bunkers. DU ammunition are also not equipped with an explosive charge like other shells – rather, they penetrate the target and create fires through the pyrophoric release of heat energy.

DU and tungsten are the two heavy metals best suited for use as kinetic energy penetrators. However, DU is available in larger quantities and at a cheaper price than tungsten, and also outperforms tungsten alloy in armour piercing. An additional advantage of DU is that it is a readily available waste material from the uranium industry. Because of their toxicity and radioactivity, wastes from the uranium industry need to be safely deposited for a very long time through processes that are expensive – so, to save money, the uranium industry has been argued to give away DU or sell it cheaply to institutions and others interested in it. Countries that use DU usually have nuclear energy programs and an abundant, low-cost, or even free supply of DU to use in munitions. The use of DU in munitions has also been argued to help governments minimize the sensitive public policy issue of nuclear waste management.

DU weapons were first used on a large-scale in the First Gulf War in 1991 by US and British coalition forces. They were also used in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995, in Serbia and Kosovo in 1999, and in the 2003 war in Iraq. They were also used after 2001 in Afghanistan, where they are apparently still used today.

Today, at least 17 countries are thought to have weapons systems containing DU. However, most DU ammunition has been used by the UK and the US. Both the UK and the US claim that the use of DU ammunition is a military necessity on account of its superior ability to penetrate armour compared to tungsten, which is the main alternative. Of course, DU is also cheaper and more widely available. However, tungsten is not without its controversies either, given that it has also been argued to have health-risks and potentially be carcinogenic.

International responses

As recently as 2018, local authorities in Serbia officially began investigations into whether NATO’s use of DU ammunition in 1999 has increased the number of cases of cancer. For its part, NATO has consistently claimed that DU ammunition used in the 1999 bombardments in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia more broadly cannot be linked to negative health effects.

At present, there is no treaty explicitly banning the use of DU weapons. However, there are pockets of resistance in the international community. In 2008, the European Parliament called for a global ban on the use of DU weapons. Belgium became the first country in the world to ban the use of inert ammunitions and armour plates containing uranium on its territory in 2007, with the law coming into effect in 2009. Costa Rica became the second country to do the same in 2011.

The UN General Assembly has also passed a number of Resolutions since 2007 highlighting serious concerns over the use of DU weapons. These concerns include a lack of transparency over where DU weapons have been fired, the costs and technical difficulties in managing contaminations, uncertainties over the environmental consequences of DU, and the ongoing concerns of affected communities. The UK, the US, France and Israel have consistently voted against the Resolutions.

The legality of the continued use of DU weapons has been argued to be questionable, given that its effects may affect civilians and therefore breach the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants – a key principle of international humanitarian law. DU exposure has also been argued to have repercussions on the health of veterans. Given the uncertainties that surround DU, its ongoing use in modern warfare therefore merits closer scrutiny.

L'articolo The Dangers of Depleted Uranium Use in Modern Warfare proviene da InsideOver.