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Military Technology

Emerging Technologies
article
Brain-Computer Interfaces Are Coming. Will We Be Ready?
Aug 27, 2020
Brain-computer interfaces give humans the ability to directly control machines with their minds. Before this emerging technology matures, it's important for developers to weigh the opportunities against the risks.
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Military Technology
commentary
Book Review: 'The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare' by Christian Brose
Jonathan P. Wong @jonpwong
Jul 2, 2020
War on the Rocks
As the Pentagon and commercial technologists continue to explore the potential of commercial technologies for the military and work towards greater adoption, they may wish to focus not only on lowering bureaucratic barriers but also on managing expectations about what technologies will be most beneficial and how they will be used.
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Military Technology
commentary
Considering Military Culture and Values When Adopting AI
Marta Kepe @martakepe
Jun 22, 2020
Small Wars Journal
As the U.S. military contemplates increasing the number and diversity of AI and other autonomous systems, it should consider timely means of mitigating any potential negative side effects.
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Military Technology
commentary
The Risks of Autonomous Weapons Systems for Crisis Stability and Conflict Escalation in Future U.S.-Russia Confrontations
Burgess Laird @BurgessLaird
Jun 3, 2020
Russia Matters
While autonomous weapons systems are still in their early development stages, it is worth the time of policymakers to carefully consider whether their putative operational advantages are worth the potential risks of instability and escalation they may raise.
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Artificial Intelligence
blog
National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Requests New Ideas; RAND Responds
Feb 21, 2020
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence put out an open call for submissions about emerging technology's role in the global order. RAND researchers stepped up to the challenge and submitted a wide range of ideas.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
AI for Peace
Patrick Roberts @RamblingRoberts
Dec 13, 2019
War on the Rocks
The United States should apply lessons from the 70-year history of governing nuclear technology by building a framework for governing AI military technology. An AI for Peace program should articulate the dangers of this new technology, principles to manage the dangers, and a structure to shape the incentives for other states.
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Fighter Aircraft
commentary
B-21 Raider Stealth Bomber Is Handy, but It May Not Be the Perfect Fit
Carl Rhodes @CarlRhodes
Dec 2, 2019
The Australian
Some in the Australian defence community have called for significant changes to the Australian Defence Force structure in response to changing global strategic conditions. Before Australia considers any new long-range strike capabilities, an analysis of alternatives that examines both cost and capability is essential.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Military Deception: AI's Killer App?
Edward Geist, Marjory S. Blumenthal @marjorysb
Oct 23, 2019
War on the Rocks
Contrary to the promise that AI would deliver an omniscient view of everything happening in the battlespace—the goal of U.S. military planners for decades—it now appears that technologies of misdirection are winning. Military deception, in short, could prove to be AI’s killer app.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Embrace Open-Source Military Research to Win the AI Competition
Jasmin Leveille
Oct 16, 2019
War on the Rocks
Unless the Pentagon embraces a more open approach to artificial intelligence, it will be left behind. Private sector innovation in this space is too fast. But what are the risks of disseminating potentially sensitive AI technology? And what should not be disclosed?
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
A Code of Conduct for AI in Defense Should Be an Extension of Other Military Codes
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Sep 11, 2019
Friends of Europe's Debating Security Plus 2019 Programme
An AI code of conduct for defense should look a lot like all other defense codes of conduct. A global society that would create the Geneva Convention is a society that believes in a moral code for warfare. This same code could extend into its weaponized algorithms.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Here's What an AI Code of Conduct for the Pentagon Might Look Like
Cortney Weinbaum @cortney_dc
Jun 24, 2019
C4ISRNET
Advocates want a code of conduct for how artificial intelligence will be used and oversight to ensure it is being followed. DoD could identify areas where it might use AI in the foreseeable future and set rules and guidelines for business uses, non-lethal military uses, and lethal uses.
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Satellite Communication
commentary
Space Safety Coordination: A Norm for All Nations
Bruce McClintock @BHMcClintock
Apr 16, 2019
Small Wars Journal
As space becomes more congested with satellites, the need for every nation to actively participate in the space safety coordination system grows. Most spacefaring countries participate, but a few countries do not—notably, Russia and China. That creates greater potential for collisions and hazards from debris.
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Forecasting Methodology
commentary
How Horizon Scanning Can Give the Military a Technological Edge
Sarah Grand-Clement
Feb 8, 2019
UK MOD Guide to Defence and Security
Horizon scanning could promote innovative practices and innovation uptake, through the adoption of new ideas, equipment, and methods, with benefits that could positively affect the UK economy as a whole. But a wider mechanism for processing and assessing the selected developments would be needed.
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Military Technology
commentary
America's National Defense Strategy and the Paradox of Technology
Chad C. Serena, Colin P. Clarke
Feb 4, 2019
The National Interest
The need for the military to make greater investments in technology is difficult if not impossible to separate from the risks posed by an increasing military reliance on this technology. Striking a balance between the two won't be easy.
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Artificial Intelligence
commentary
Does the U.S. Face an AI Ethics Gap?
Benjamin Boudreaux
Jan 11, 2019
RealClearDefense
Instead of worrying about an artificial intelligence “ethics gap,” U.S. policymakers and the military community could embrace a leadership role in AI ethics. This may help ensure that the AI arms race doesn't become a race to the bottom.
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Information Operations
blog
And, By the Way, They Were All Women: RAND Hosts Forum on 21st-Century Warfare Honoring Roberta Wohlstetter
Nov 26, 2018
National security experts, flag officers, and decisionmakers attended the Roberta Wohlstetter Forum on National Security at RAND's Washington office on October 24. The featured speakers, moderators, organizers, donor, and namesake for the event were all women.
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