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"Overkill" is the defining feature of Western military. We've got to the point where we consider a ratio of 1 (of ours) : 1000 (of theirs) unacceptable. It's ve

by scandox 10y ago

"Overkill" is the defining feature of Western military. We've got to the point where we consider a ratio of 1 (of ours) : 1000 (of theirs) unacceptable. It's very hard to present an argument that says we should accept more deaths on our own side in order to be "fairer" to the other side. However, the net effect is that we continue to minimize our risk in ways that de-humanize conflict and increase collateral damage.

douche 10y ago
I'm not sure we are really increasing collateral damage, relative to where we started 100 years ago. The days of firing 1-3 million heavy artillery shells in a day[1] are past, as are the days of dropping tens of thousands of tons of bombs indiscriminantly on a city[2]. Blowing up a single house with a drone-launched missile, or taking out a bridge with a single laser-guided bomb is far more surgical. One can imagine in the not-too-distant future bug-sized drones that could pick a target out of a crowd and inject a trace amount of some very deadly toxin or sedative. [1] http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/british-artillery-bombardment-before-the-infantry-attack-on-the-somme/ http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-wester... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_War_II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_Wa...
- MrLeftHand 10y ago
  It's true we are making less collateral damage then in the golden days, but the problem is that the more advanced one side becomes the less of a chance the other side has. It's not just about fighting terrorists. We don't know who will be in command next. Giving this tech into the wrong hands will do some massive damages. There is always a chance to find ourselves on the wrong end of the drone. Also the drone targets a single house, bombs it to oblivion and then someone says they are 80% sure, they bombed the right house with the right people in them. Not to mention a lot of times the people killed are civilians who were actually supportive, but because they are dead now, we just make the rest angry and make them side with the enemy. We are a long way away making sure we are killing the right target.
  - googletazer 10y ago
    " We don't know who will be in command next." Thats the real issue. Drone armies is every dictator's wet dream, an unstoppable mass-produced force.

by scandox 10y ago

douche 10y ago

I'm not sure we are really increasing collateral damage, relative to where we started 100 years ago. The days of firing 1-3 million heavy artillery shells in a day[1] are past, as are the days of dropping tens of thousands of tons of bombs indiscriminantly on a city[2]. Blowing up a single house with a drone-launched missile, or taking out a bridge with a single laser-guided bomb is far more surgical. One can imagine in the not-too-distant future bug-sized drones that could pick a target out of a crowd and inject a trace amount of some very deadly toxin or sedative. [1] http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/british-artillery-bombardment-before-the-infantry-attack-on-the-somme/ http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-wester... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_War_II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Hamburg_in_World_Wa...

MrLeftHand 10y ago
It's true we are making less collateral damage then in the golden days, but the problem is that the more advanced one side becomes the less of a chance the other side has. It's not just about fighting terrorists. We don't know who will be in command next. Giving this tech into the wrong hands will do some massive damages. There is always a chance to find ourselves on the wrong end of the drone. Also the drone targets a single house, bombs it to oblivion and then someone says they are 80% sure, they bombed the right house with the right people in them. Not to mention a lot of times the people killed are civilians who were actually supportive, but because they are dead now, we just make the rest angry and make them side with the enemy. We are a long way away making sure we are killing the right target.
- googletazer 10y ago
  " We don't know who will be in command next." Thats the real issue. Drone armies is every dictator's wet dream, an unstoppable mass-produced force.