New Forms of Warfare: The Transformation of War

Western armies continue on the path of transformation, which began in the 1990s under the label of a “revolution in military affairs”, by procuring high-tech armament, i.e. remote controlled, semiautomatic or autonomous systems. One driving force, especially in the field of robotics, is the interest of Western states to reduce casualties amongst their troops in unpopular wars like Iraq or Afghanistan, thereby lowering the (immaterial) costs of governance based on military might.

This project covers both fundamental as well as applied research. It will not focus exclusively on technological developments and changing patters in the use of high-tech armament. Preliminary research in the area suggests that so-called “heroic societies” consider the use of high-tech equipment as cowardly and unfair. So even if Western states can win wars based on technological superiority, their victory might only result in short-term success if the opponent will not accept any post-war order based on the outcome of an unjust fight.

Photo: Tim Lloyd via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0