EXPLORE
Even though technology had helped aid in brining war victory, we can’t say that technology brought out the best in soldiers. There are definitely negative effects of military technology advancement, like higher soldier’s death rates compared to the past death rates, when military technology was at its budding stage. However, now that military technology is in full advancement, the creation of gadgets and machines that helps aid soldiers in war is actually causing more harm to the soldiers than good. The soldiers become too dependent on military technology, and as a result, the soldiers slowly loose their intellectuals and their minds. It could be said that they are slowly brainwashed by the effects of technological effect. As Douglas Engelbart have stated in “Augmenting Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework”, “… man’s problem solving capability represents possibly the most important resource possessed by a society” (Engelbart). The soldiers have the highest power of authority over themselves, and they have the capabilities to drive the military operations during wars. However, by using military gadgets and tools, the soldiers loose their ability to think for themselves. The soldiers rely heavily on physical mechanical aspects of military technology, instead of believing in “a man’s problem solving capabilities”.
In a way these military technological gadgets and machines, like telecommunicating systems and smart, intellectual weapons have improved warfare; however, it is said that most military technology advancement led to more deaths and casualties in the end. For example, before modernization and the technological boom, the soldiers used muskets and pistols as their main weapons. However, now we have better weapons, like the sniper rifles, which can enhance the accuracy of the shots, and have the target magnified for a more precise and punctual shots. “There is no need for the soldiers to struggle to aim and shoot, instead, the sniper rifles targets the soldier’s aims, and the soldiers are just there to pull the trigger” (Wright). The advancement in weaponry have accelerated at a pace which cannot be recorded that the soldiers and the people who created military weaponry did not realize the consequences of having soldiers turn into robots themselves.
One case that caused mass destruction was the use of nuclear power. World War II consisted of one main nuclear power, the United States. However, if we look at 21st century, almost every high-powered influential countries held nuclear power weapons (Newton, 277). Obviously the newer, improved nuclear weapons will kill more people than mere muskets and knifes. And, if the soldiers were given a choice to choose a weapon between a mere musket versus a sniper, they would choose to use more powerful weapons to save their life from the dangers of war (Coker, 243). The soldiers become too dependent on the technological aspects of war. Now, the wars are not fights between countries to see who have the most men to fight the war, but the wars became a power struggle between the enemies to see “who has the most obedient soldiers brainwashed into military technology”. The soldiers lose their ability to make decisions on their own, because of recent technological advncement, gadgets’ analytical data replaces their intuition, and their intellectuals. “If a soldier was assigned to raid an enemies’ land, and was proven by the Global Positioning System (GPS system), the exact location and the exact coordinates, the soldier would not doubt the righteousness of their actions” (Coker, 122). In this case, the soldier already assumes that the coordinates given by the GPS system is correct, and assumes that there is no error in the computation process within the machines. Because according to the numerical data, there would be no mistake in specifically programmed machines, and the idea of machinery error is unacceptable. And, the idea of human error is a possibility. These gadgets that make the soldiers’ war life much easier, is in fact, diminishing their intellectual growth, and minimizes their thinking processes. Now, military operations have changed to soldiers “pressing the buttons” without second judgments or second thoughts of the effects of these destructive weapons.
The soldiers rely heavily on the physical and mechanical defense mechanism of wars that without weapons, the soldiers are likely to think of themselves as inferiorities. When in fact, the soldiers don’t realize the psychological effects of the war technology, negatively affecting their brains. The psychological assurance of having weapons and smart-hand-held military gadgets (GPS), provide the soldiers with superiority mind. In a case like having to choose the better weapons to protect themselves from their enemies, is one example of physical appearance of power, affecting psychological connection of superiority. The soldiers are assured that these high-tech weapons will keep them safe from the enemies, but in reality, the soldiers are enslaved by the guns and weaponry, that they loose their sense of security within their minds (Coker, 74). When the soldiers are deserted out in the war zones without weapons, they lose their confidence to fight and they don’t know what to do in situations without military weapons. The soldiers are brainwashed into thinking that the military technological growth made them stronger of a soldier. But instead, the military technological gadgets have “dumbed” the soldiers’ abilities to solve problems and find solutions within given premises. The idea that the soldiers are defenseless without weapons aspect and finding security within weapons is a concept that is drilled into their heads, even before the soldiers were drafted for war. Even without their military trainings, the idea of having better weapons, and high technological systems produces superiority was installed unto them from the exposures of the mass media.
Our mass media, and film productions affected the way the soldiers look at wars now. In the United States, we still have respect for the war veterans and the concept of war heroism is installed into our minds. And, the mass media is a one way to install respect for war veterans and soldiers, at the same time, promote the power of military technology growth. The mass media readily portrays the idea and the concept that you are safe when the machineries and guns guard you. For example, if we look at our films and movies now, we find war-themed movies like Ironman. Ironman is a movie that promotes the idea that machinery will fix all the problems in the world, and carries an idea that Ironman’s suit equals a barrier and a protection against the villains. When the mass media is boldly advertising the usages of weapons as protection, and readily advocates the acceptance of finding security within guns and weapons, no wonder soldiers are bound to feel safe when their hands are in sync with the destructive guns. However, this is a misconception and the lies within the military technological advancements. The soldiers become blinded by the idea of gaining more power with high technologically advanced weapons, that they don’t realize the inhumanities of the weapons it self. They assume that they are helpless without military technological gadgets, when in reality, they are just as competent and superior as a soldier, whether they hold a gun or not.
Due to their psychological thoughts of inferiority without military technological gadgets and machineries, the soldiers find themselves lost and confused, just like how robots are. At this state, the soldiers loose their ability to “know what is right versus what is wrong”, because the production and the usages of advanced military weapons hinders their thinking capabilities, and their judgments (Hunter). The advanced military technology advancement provided the soldier’s with the sense of security and self-assurance, but in turn, the concept of weaponry assurance disabled the soldiers’ minds and their intellectuals. This is due to the blindness of their beliefs that technology will be their savior. It is a human nature to have a higher sense of self-preservation: the protection of oneself from harm or death.
The pace at which military technology advancement is accelerating becomes a problem when the soldiers only choose to see and believe what is provided within the machines. Instead of using their military experiences and instincts, the soldiers choose to base their assumptions and beliefs in the data collected from military machines. As Ted Nelson has stated,” the computer is as inhuman as we make it” (Nelson). The soldiers cannot base their military decisions and operation plans based on mere data collected from machines and “inhuman” computers. The soldier’s ability to think and to have a consciousness is what draws the line between machinery and a human being. However, since the soldiers become enslaved to military technological gadgets and weapons, they lose their ability to think for themselves. The soldiers put on an “auto-pilot” mode on their brains, and neglect to critically judge and self-assess their actions (Dennett). The “auto-piloted” soldiers are more reluctant to lean on technology, in return, being enslaved by the military technology advancements. And, the more the soldiers lean on for technological support and proof, the more it leads soldiers into automation.
When comparing the military technology gadgets back in World War II versus the Afghanistan War (2001 to present), there is an evident proof that the present wars (Iraq and Afghanistan War) had better military gadgets and machines that guided the soldiers through out the war. Back in World War II era, there was no way to take satellite-imaging systems pictures and create a geographic map of the battlefield. The military tactics were created plainly out of paper made maps, and the highest technology discovery was the coding telegram machines at that time of period. However, if we look at the military machineries and the gadgets used in 21st century, we can see a whole jump in military technological advancement. Now, there is no need for actual physical maps, nor do we need to secretly send a code, all the soldiers have to do is “press a button”, and to wait and see. Now, due to military technology’s innovations, the outcomes of success are not measured by the heroic actions of the soldiers themselves, but how these soldiers have contributed to the machines’ precisely completed their tasks, and how accurately the military machine operation was played out.
The whole intellectual part of war has deceased, causing soldiers to expect the machines to do all the work for them. Metaphorically, we can imagine the military technological advancements dragging the soldiers along. With each military operation choices and decisions made by the automated soldiers, how can we trust the soldiers to defend our country? How can we trust in our soldiers that have turned into a robot themselves? How do we know that the soldiers have not lost their moral consciousness and their feelings? No. We cannot trust human beings that have turned into a mind of a robot, to magically one day, show empathy and sympathy. There’s no point in denying that the military technology will not only make the soldiers life comfortable in war, but make their brains numb to act on their own. In creating a comfortable and easy war, we are creating human robots without emotions, feelings, and consciousness. We are losing our ability to keep up with military technology advancement, at the same time, losing our soldiers’ humanity.