AI weapons signal end of traditional warfare, US must innovate: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: New York Times
14 Sep 2024 21:21

The US military's continued reliance on outdated, costly weapons systems, such as tanks, ships, and the F-35 stealth fighter, is falling behind in a world increasingly dominated by AI-driven technologies.

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Representatives of the diplomatic corps look at a German-made Leopard 2A6 tank, hit and captured by Russian troops during the fighting in Ukraine as they visit an exhibition of Western military equipment captured from Kyiv, in Moscow on Friday, May 31, 2024, with the Monument to the Russian heroes of the First World War in the background (AP)

The New York Times published an opinion piece on Saturday, discussing the revolution in warfare driven by AI-powered autonomous systems.

Drawing parallels with the historical use of Maxim guns by British forces to defeat thousands of Ndebele warriors, the modern equivalent is AI-enabled drones, which have forced Ukrainian forces to withdraw advanced US-provided Abrams tanks from the front lines after they were destroyed by Russian kamikaze drones, thus signaling the decline of manned mechanized warfare.

The Ministry of Defense published footage from the liberated village of Memrik in the Pokrovsky direction in the DPR, where an American Abrams tank was destroyed and Western equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was burned pic.twitter.com/VMqr0fNkWx
— DeepState Illuminate (@TheDeep_State6) September 12, 2024

According to writers Raj Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff criticize, the US military's continued reliance on outdated, costly weapons systems, such as tanks, ships, and the F-35 stealth fighter, is falling behind in a world increasingly dominated by AI-driven technologies.

The F-35, despite its advanced capabilities, has less processing power than many smartphones, reflecting the military's outdated production cycles that are too slow to keep pace with rapid AI advancements.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is attempting to bridge the gap between consumer technology and military innovation through its Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), established in 2015.

Modeled after venture capital firms, DIU aims to bring Silicon Valley's cutting-edge technology into military use.

The initiative has funneled billions into startups developing autonomous and AI-powered systems.

However, funding for these innovation programs remains a fraction of what is spent on legacy systems, the writers note.

In contrast, China has seamlessly integrated civilian technology with its military, aggressively pursuing advancements like quantum computing, hypersonic weapons, and a satellite system rivaling Starlink.

The writers frame this as a civilizational race while urging the US to unlock the potential of market-based innovation to revitalize its military capabilities "before it's too late", referencing a warning from General Douglas MacArthur about the consequences of being late in war preparation.

While venture capital interest in national security startups is growing, the real challenge is whether the US can embrace this transformation quickly enough to deter future great power conflicts and prevail in smaller regional conflicts, the authors conclude.