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Mar
31
A SWORDS military robot in Iraq
Recent talk of a turing test possibly making autonomous military robots legal because they will have ability to distinguish between friends, foes, and civilians raises the possibility that the new weapons systems of the future could be autonomous military robots.
“Can a robot commit a war crime?” That question was raised at the conference on The Ethics of Autonomous Military Systems behind yesterday’s story on ethical concerns over robotic weapons.
Barrister and Engineer Chris Elliot explained his thoughts on the legality of future “intelligent” weapons, within international, criminal and civil law. He started by suggesting that as systems become more autonomous, they become capable of actions that are not, in legal terms, “foreseeable”.
At that point, he suggested, it would be hard to blame a human for its actions. “We’re getting very close to the where the law may have to recognise that we can’t always identify an individual – perhaps an artificial system can be to blame.”
Military robots are already in use in Iraq — the SWORDS system is controlled by a remote operator.
The U.S. Army quietly entered a new era earlier this summer when it sent the first armed ground robots into action in Iraq.
So far, the robot army’s entrance into the war has been a trickle rather than an invasion.
Only three of the special weapons observation remote reconnaissance direct action system (SWORDS) have been deployed so far.
The Army has authorized the purchase of 80 more robots — which are being touted as a potentially life-saving technology — but acquisition officials have not come forth with the funding.
“As [soldiers] use them and like them, I’ve heard positive feedback, they want 20 more immediately. It’s a shame we can’t get them to them,” Michael Zecca, SWORDS program manager, told National Defense.
Dec
27
Is Idea Of Iraqi ‘Tet’ Fantasy?
Filed Under Election 2008, Iraq War, war on terror | 2 Comments
Will Iraqi insurgents try to influence the 2008 U.S. Presidential election by launching a terrorist-filled Iraqi-style “Tet” offensive designed to break the American will?
From Austin Bay on Real Clear Politics:
Sometime within the next six months or so, al Qaeda or Saddamist terrorists will attempt a Tet offensive.
No, Middle Eastern mass murderers don’t celebrate the Vietnamese festival of Tet, but trust that America’s enemies everywhere do celebrate and systematically seek to emulate the strategic political effects North Vietnam’s 1968 attack obtained.
This spring marks the 40th anniversary of Hanoi’s offensive (yes, 40 years, two generations). It will also mark the umpteenth time American enemies have attempted to win in the psychological and political clash of an American election what they cannot win on the battlefield.
