Defense Technology
Great Decisions 2014 | Topic 1
What are the “killer applications” of the 21st century battlefield, and in turn, what are the issues that the U.S. must navigate in adapting to them?
From robotic planes to cyberweapons to 3D printing and human enhancement, new “game-changing” technologies are moving from science fiction to battlefield reality – all during an age of fiscal austerity. But in wrestling with the new, we can actually learn a great deal from the past. Our forebears went through similar challenges with such once fanciful but now normal concepts as airplanes, submarines, and tanks. What are the “killer applications” of the 21st century battlefield, and in turn, what are the issues that the U.S. must navigate in adapting to them?
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