No killing in future conflicts

New cutting-edge technologies will help make war faster and safer for combatants in the next decade. They even may make it unnecessary. Advances in weaponry. sensors, intelligence, and communications will render tomorrow's conflicts totally unlike today's. In 10 years, soldiers could be armed with weapons that immobilize without killing as well as personalized armor with healing powers plus the ultimate in camouflage.

"Trends indicate that warfare is becoming quicker with fewer deaths and less physical ruin," technology forecaster Stephen M. Millett told the World Future Society, Bethesda, Md. Meanwhile, Battell's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Wash., generated a list of the top 10 technologies that will change the way we go to war by convening a panel of 15 defense and security experts. "U.S. armed forces are increasingly able to respond swiftly and effectively due to technological developments in computers, sensors, automated controls, advanced vehicles, and nonlethal weapons," says Millett.

The next decade's revamped battle technologies likely will be:

1. Computer systems that give commanders all the information they need to make quicker and more effective decisions.

2. Advanced energy sources with 10 times the power and life of a battery--in small sizes for soldiers and large sizes for tanks.

3. Nonlethal weapons, such as guns that shoot paint, devices that shock combatants, and arsenals that produce sound waves that sub-due opponents by knocking them down.

4. Advanced detection and tracking systems, including noninvasive weapons detectors as easy to use as a metal detector, radio frequency identification tags, and sophisticated homing devices.

5. Universal inoculation against biological agents and pathogens.

6. A global cybernet to facilitate communications and information. Future Internet architectures could detect and correct complications before they happen.

7. Individual warning devices for the home and battlefield to identify airborne toxins and contamination.

8. Rapid deployment and mobility of airplanes, ships, and tanks to battle sites.

9. Safe buildings with integrated sensors, filtration systems, and automated response mechanisms.

10. Advanced multifunctional materials that allow for better camouflage and protection and even can monitor a soldier's health. Equipment will be lighter, stronger, more durable, and multifunctional.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group