About the Book

A military expert reveals how science fiction is fast becoming reality on the battlefield, changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself
P. W. Singeras previous two books foretold the rise of private military contractors and the advent of child soldiersa predictions that proved all too accurate. Now, he explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bombathe advent of robotic warfare.
We are just beginning to see a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make the stuff of "I, Robot" and the "Terminator" all too real. More than seven- thousand robotic systems are now in Iraq. Pilots in Nevada are remotely killing terrorists in Afghanistan. Scientists are debating just how smartaand how lethalato make their current robotic prototypes. And many of the most renowned science fiction authors are secretly consulting for the Pentagon on the next generation.
Blending historic evidence with interviews from the field, Singer vividly shows that as these technologies multiply, they will have profound effects on the front lines as well as on the politics back home. Moving humans off the battlefield makes wars easier to start, but more complex to fight. Replacing men with machines may save some lives, but will lower the morale and psychological barriers to killing. The awarrior ethos, a which has long defined soldiersa identity, will erode, as will the laws of war that have governed military conflict for generations.
Paradoxically, these new technologies will also bring war to our doorstep. As other nations and even terrorist organizations start to build or buy their own robotic weapons, the robot revolution could undermine Americaas military preeminence. While his analysis is unnerving, thereas an irresistible gee-whiz quality to the innovations Singer uncovers. "Wired for War" travels from Iraq to see these robots in combat to the latter-day askunk worksa in Americaas suburbia, where tomorrowas technologies of war are quietly being designed. In Singeras hands, the future of war is as fascinating as it is frightening.

Product Details

Media: Paperback Book, 499 pages

Language: English

Publisher: Penguin Books (Dec. 31st, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0143116843

ISBN-13: 9780143116844

Dimensions: 5.90 x 8.90 x 1.20 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.15 lbs

• Categories: Military Science