Throughout thousands of years, warfare has always been part of many cultures. While most cultures would shun the idea of violence, most cultures and nations still practice a militaristic lifestyle for a variety of different reasons. As such, warfare isn’t necessarily about fostering violence, but it is a way of deterring such violence through increased security and workforce.
Most of the time, this militaristic lifestyle that most individuals need to take up at a certain age is usually done for the following reasons:
- It boosts the workforce of a country during times of war.
- It encourages nationalism, which helps create a sense of identity among reservists.
- The increased manpower serves as a deterrent, which can help avert violence that might happen.
- It can help with supporting socio-economic activities that will boost the economy.
Still, it’s important to note that no matter how strong a nation’s military can be, there are always different reasons for war.
Typically, the current equipment used in warfare is also one of the best ways of discerning the recent technological innovations of a current period. World War 2 saw most nations sporting different state-of-the-art machinery that would later be used in different civilian and military types of machinery decades after the war.
Conversely, the looming threat of war is also one of the reasons that can increase technological innovation. For instance, the helicopter wasn’t necessarily a known design. But as soon as the Vietnam war and the Korean War started, it was repurposed for a more military system. To this date, helicopters are still used, even in a civilian setting.
Advancements in Automation
With the current technological prowess that we have now, it’s only logical to think of automation and how it has affected different industries. Even for a multi-billion dollar weapons manufacturing industry, automation has various purposes in manufacturing and the performance of this equipment.
Gone are the days that soldiers will have to dredge through potentially hazardous conflict zones that might cost them their lives.
But what are these advancements in automation, and how has it helped security forces around the world?
Facial Recognition
For most authorities that are working in the police force, most criminal offenders will need to be identified before that are taken into custody. Fortunately, recent innovations in technology have recently perfected facial recognition. Like search engines, security cameras and various equipment can sift through vast amounts of data regarding a particular individual’s facial features. That makes it easier to get an identification of a specific person.
Facial recognition isn’t just something that’s used by the military, but it is being incorporated into the equipment of other police and security forces worldwide. Most terrorist plots and crimes can be averted when facial recognition can discern a person’s identity through intricate algorithms and a database of facial features.
Drones
During the early years of modern warfare, neutralizing a high-value target might require a fair amount of intelligence, tactical prowess, and sometimes cost the lives of innocent individuals close to the target’s area. That is especially true when it comes to airstrikes and raids that are carried out on these targets. Most military forces have to rely on unguided bombs when striking targets, which can cause indiscriminate damage.
With recent advancements in thermal imaging, military drones can easily discern the number of individuals in a given area, which can help most drone operators decide whether a particular military action should be carried out. Essentially, drone strikes can be carried out more accurately and efficiently without risking innocent individuals’ lives.
Commercial US drone manufacturers have also incorporated the use of drones to deliver products and foods without making physical contact with clients. That makes it easier to traverse through more difficult terrain types without having to expend manpower and resources when getting there.
Imaging
Processing and taking in data from the environment can help yield more success in different types of situations. Most security and military forces around the world have been using imaging for different types of high-risk situations. Consider a hostage situation: it’s important to discern who the assailants are and who the hostages are. Machine vision is known for being able to differentiate between different individuals.
Imaging can also be used in a variety of different industries. Medical equipment is known to use imaging to scan for further health complications in an individual and assist in surgeries.
It’s quite clear that the future of warfare will be one that will involve high-tech programs and software that can make the lives of soldiers easier. These advancements can safeguard soldiers’ lives while efficiently carrying out tasks and reducing collateral damage in highly dense urban areas.
In terms of national security, these advancements are also known to help avert crises and potential events that might soon pose a threat. Like every other industry, automation has made a significant impact in almost any military force worldwide, and most manufacturers and companies are continuously making innovations.
