In the 21st century, it’s true that the abolishing nature of certain weapons have become more severe.
by Meaghan Ziemba, Associate Editor, PD&D
I am not one for war. It is a devastating fact of life when two conflicting views clash together, and force seems to be the only resolution. I do, however, understand why it is necessary so that certain beliefs, freedoms and authority can be maintained, and I’ve always been fascinated with the evolution of weaponry used to carry out its force of destruction.
War is a part of everyone’s past, present and future and casualties are inevitable. Some of the casualties always include innocent bystanders that get caught between the crossfire of conflicting views, and with advancements in technologies, weaponry has come a long way from face-to face, sword-on-sword combat.
With sensors and tracking devices, a push of a button can destroy city blocks and every living creature that resides in them by spraying hot, molten copper.
It’s no longer aim, shoot and hope for the best; it’s missiles tracking the targets and trailing them till they’re destroyed. It’s less of a physical combat skill and more of technological accuracy – and if you’re a civilian within 300 yards of a dropped bomb, you have no chances of running away or hiding.
In an attempt to decrease the amount of civilian casualties advanced weaponry created, a recent article discusses U.S. soldiers testing a Land Warrior system that involves egg-sized cameras that give a 360-degree view of civilian and hostile areas. It separates the soldiers from the war zones, and provides an advanced view of certain areas and the subjects involved. If there are hostile forces present, troops can paint the area for an air strike, however if there are too many civilians, catastrophe can be avoided.
The dragon-egg kit sort of brings back the principles behind a “gentleman’s war” leaving civilians out of the mix. Soldiers can make better observations and strategize accordingly with the images they are provided, while sparing innocent lives and hitting the target with greater accuracy. They can also communicate their findings with other troops in distant areas using a thumb control on a device similar to a Blackberry, and extending the range of defense.
Land Warrior systems; such as the Dragon egg kit, highlights the changing nature of warfare in the 21st century. With robotic systems, pilotless planes, wireless and sensor technology, it’s true that the abolishing nature of certain weapons have become more severe, but the accuracy of them has become more precise in destroying the enemy instead of destroying the enemy and everything that happens to be around them at the time of detonation.
The engineering of war has become more conscious of preserving life while it seeks to destroy it, and the future weapons of combat seem to be getting closer to replacing all human troops, which may have it advantages and disadvantages depending what side of the spectrum your standing on.