War Futurologist Sums Up Combat Robots Will Dominate Modern Battlefield

Originally appeared at ZeroHedge

We’ve always questioned what wars in the future would be like. To answer that mystery is Yevgeny Kuznetsov, a member of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign Defense Policy, head of Singularity University in Moscow, who told Russian state-owned newspaper RIA Novosti that high-quality combat robotics will dominate the modern battlefield.

Already, conflicts over trade, technology, and capital markets continue to worsen between the US and China, the world’s global superpowers. Meanwhile, rising geopolitical tensions between the US and Russia continue to surge under the Biden administration.

While the US, China, and Russia, along with other countries, race to modernize their forces with robotics, artificial intelligence, stealth fighters, new main battle tanks, upgraded infantry weapons, and, of course, how could we forget, hypersonic weapons, it appears the US is destined for war.

Kuznetsov, also a futurologist, explains while combat robots were only for wealthy countries, technological costs have dramatically dropped, allowing developed countries to obtain advanced weaponry. He said the side with the most advanced robots has a higher probability of winning future battles.

“Previously, robots in the army were the lot of wealthy countries such as the United States. Now Turkey and Israel have broken through the barrier and are making aircraft drones a mass product, which, as we have seen from the example of Azerbaijan, make a significant contribution to the outcome of hostilities. War is turning into a competition of economies: whoever has assembled more and better robots is more successful in solving problems on the battlefield, “Kuznetsov said.

He said the massive integration of unmanned aerial vehicles, sea and ground vehicles “will change the centuries-old perception of the state as a community of people, of which the more, the better since these are both working hands and potential soldiers. Robots break this scheme because they replace people in the workplace and in the army. The model of a state that is strong not by people, but by robots – we are simply not ready for that.” 

Research analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses’ International Affairs Group, Samuel Bendett, sums up Kuznetsov’s interview with RIA:

“Future wars are not just going to be battles between robots, but contest between advanced economies capable of manufacturing such robotics in large numbers.” 

From the cold war to the trade war to the tech war, the US, China, Russia, and many other countries, are increasing military budgets to procure enough combat robots that would hopefully increase their odds at winning future wars.