The Pros and Cons of Using Unmanned Vehicles - Coursework Example

Your Date Military History Abstract This essay is a peek into the pros and cons of using unmanned vehicles. It looks at how the use of unmanned vehicles has benefited humans while at the same time will try to understand why that has not occurred already and why infantry might be indispensable. There are evidences from the past battles that suggest that technology is not the sole answer to winning wars, however, there are also instances where technology has proved useful for the winning party. This raises the debate over the effectiveness of unmanned vehicles in combat zones as well as during peacetime. This essay is a look the various uses of unmanned vehicles during peacetime as well as in combat zones. Through the arguments, we can see that the unmanned vehicles can prove to be a helpful tool during combat zones but their utility in peacetime is indispensable. The essay is an effort to understand the reason for all this through the simple look of an argumentative essay. Over the last few decades, the fantasy of a completely unmanned combat has grown its foothold. This has happened not just because of the increasingly developed techniques but also because of human will to save their people. Use of unmanned vehicles has its own advantage and disadvantage. Through the essay we look at how the use of unmanned vehicles has benefited humans while at the same time will try to understand why that has not occurred already and why infantry might be indispensable. We shall first understand the use of unmanned vehicles in navy and air force, and then subsequently deal with their use in army our main concern here. The use of unmanned vehicles has been in fact quite highly appreciated in air force when all the aircraft has to do is bomb the bases. Drones are certainly riding on a high note as far as this job is concerned. However, with an air-to-air combat, human skills seem indispensable. In navy too unmanned vehicles have found a growing use, especially in mine countermeasures. Unmanned vehicles in army are thought to play a very significant role in future; this role is of saving human life. Unmanned tanks are thought of as future weapons that would be able to give maximum damage at a lower cost. However, a big question that looms in front of us is why the unmanned vehicles have not come in to complete use as of now, the answer lies in the capability of humans to be the best fighter possible. In spite of the advantage of saving human life, it should be remembered that the vehicles would not be as efficient as expected for the simple reason that they will not be as adaptable to the changing situations during the war as humans are. Moreover, as is evident from the 9/11 attack, our effort of saving human lives is only a waste since the fanatics know of better techniques, which involve surprising us through unexpected attacks, and those techniques invariably involve young people sacrificing themselves for the ‘noble’ cause. These people are brainwashed, high on drugs, they do not fear anything, and yet expecting that unmanned vehicles will end the war entirely is completely out of question. Using unmanned vehicles for destroying fanatics, as was done in Afghanistan using cruise missiles, only sends out a wrong signal, which increases their morale and their courage to bring about further destruction. Talking about morale, one would wonder the necessity of it, but it well known that morale of individuals fighting a war decides the results of the war. Another important point to note is about their effective use. Machine gun, atomic bomb, and weapons of mass destruction were also created for gaining a better hold of war, but as it now known atomic bomb has shown how destructive it can actually be and the scare of the same technology in the hands of enemies (terrorists) is a scary topic. Machine guns similarly have been used for purpose beyond their original objective. Thus, use of unmanned vehicles need to be thought over for it is not just about fighting a war, there are people waiting for new inventions to serve their selfish motives. Unmanned vehicles, on the other hand, need not be technologically superior; in fact, a toy car with explosives on it can also act in a similar way. Germans used similar ‘technology’ during World War II and yet humans are still seen around in the war scene. This speaks volumes about why humans cannot be replaced, especially when it comes to army. Similarly, using tanks is not a solution. Battle of Cambrai, 1917, proved that using tanks without infantry was not effective. Using unmanned vehicles too will be ineffective without infantry. Unmanned vehicles can serve as an enhancement to the existing line up, as a tool to fight the enemies, but replacing humans with them cannot be considered as an option. Using unmanned vehicles moreover has loopholes that are highly destructive for the users. Long distance wars are what unmanned vehicles provide but are these long distance wars safe. Not when the enemy can fight and destroy the bases without having to deal with the remote controlled vehicles. This is the biggest problem with unmanned vehicles, especially when it comes to army. Moreover, the testing of such vehicles occurs in conditions that are far from the real situations, so there actual use is known only when they are used during actual wars. This has been shown over and over again during the World wars when new and ‘tested’ technologies were used during the war only to prove that the real test was during the wars. Therefore, expecting that the latest technology is a solution may not always be right since they are never tested in real situations before being put to use. Yet to win in wars, technology alone will not win it. Its not technology that counts, but appropriate technology, and what is appropriate is rarely revealed until the shooting actually starts. Just because the British had new breech loading rifles didnt mean they would automatically defeat the Zulus armed with primitive spears. The Zulus actually defeated the British at Isandawana in 1879. Low tech Soviet weapons defeated American weapons (which are usually too complex) during the tanks battles between India and Pakistan. The German Whermacht was light-years ahead of many of it opponents, yet they met a massive defeat. The technologically superior Romans were beaten by barbarian tribes armed with sharpened sticks. So dont think that technology alone is the answer (Manned vs Unmanned Vehicles). Besides the issues above mentioned, there are concerns over installing weapons in the unmanned vehicles. The concerns are not just about the cost that manufacturing would require but also about the ethical issues. Unmanned vehicles certainly would not have any ethical issue when they fire without differentiating between the enemies, for it is the handler who chooses the enemy. Thus, there are fair concerns about the handling of unmanned vehicles. Once they are launched, there is certainly going to be huge fanfare about how humans have advanced to the point of ending wars quickly, and other such lame reason, however, by the time humans will realize the disadvantages with the vehicles regarding their handling, it will be too late. This is evident even now, when ammunition is cheap, not because it is priced low but because there is a flourishing black market. Therefore, at a later stage even if these unmanned vehicles are altogether withdrawn, there existence in black market will only flourish. Unmanned vehicles are certainly a good idea to dabble with but expecting them to change the scene of wars completely is unthinkable. Having talked about the difficulties with unmanned vehicles, we need to know why the idea is so addictive in the first place. We need to know if they do have any future, and if they do then what would be their role. “UAVs have demonstrated a capability in that mission area we typically call ISR, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance” (Unmanned Vehicles in Mine Countermeasure. This best explains the future role of unmanned vehicles. They certainly have a major role to play when it comes to clearing minefields. Similarly, the other advantage lies in their having no emotional attachment to humans. They are mainly like the disposable stuff, use one, and even if it is destroyed there is no harm. United States has been doing the same with drones all along their fight against AL-Qaeda. Unmanned vehicles have an important role in intelligence and surveillance. They would not just save time but also precious lives, which are lost in hazardous sites. Losing life in a battle and losing life while finding clues in hazardous sites are two different issues. Therefore, unmanned vehicles can prove very useful in these operations. Their use in clearing minefields and in intelligence can well be indispensable. Unmanned vehicles have an added advantage of being lighter than their counterparts are, since the requirements for a human seat and his safety requirements are removed. “One thing that would save money with unmanned aircraft is a reduction in training. Running training operations costs billions…” (Pros and Cons of Manned vs Unmanned Vehicles). Another advantage of UAVs is they are typically easier to launch and recover than manned aircraft. They require less ground infrastructure. Smaller UAVs often dont even need a runway. A catapult and a net (or similar system) will do... Potentially, a UAV can take a much higher G-load than a plane with a human pilot and so may have an advantage in air-to-air combat (Pros and Cons of Manned vs Unmanned Vehicles). Technology also counts as was evident from the Indo-China war of 1963. In spite of a large army, India lost the war from the technologically superior China. Thus, thinking that technology should be completely pitted is not right either. Unmanned vehicles have a long way to go, but in the meantime, the inventions that come forward will only prove another tool for humans to help them during wars. Moreover, the use of unmanned vehicles is not restricted to the war area alone, as has been discussed. Unmanned vehicles have a role to play of accomplices that would prove very beneficial in the kind of jobs that humans would not like to do. Unmanned vehicles certainly have their advantage but they are prone to some basic deficiencies that only humans can satisfy. Unmanned vehicles will certainly prove very beneficial during the wars in the coming times but yet there are many things that need to be thought about before bringing them in the frontal position. In fact expecting them to take over completely is certainly not a good idea. This would mean that the teenagers who are so used to playing war games in their consoles should be the next best choice as a Field Commander. Do we see that coming? Well, certainly I do not. Though the idea is imaginative but it is just that - an imagination. Unmanned vehicles thus would prove a rather good tool during peace time activities, but their use during combats is highly doubtful. How can one expect to know every detail of the war when the person is actually sitting in a safe room? This not just adds a careless attitude to the handler, since the person knows that he is safe but this also proves a disadvantage in a wring situation. Thus, the best use of unmanned vehicles can be at the time of peace. This is not to say, that in future we cannot expect for the development of technology far superior to that we see now which might change our thinking all together. Development of robots that can perform tasks otherwise thought to be human specialties show that there are always chances of a better scope. Hence completely denying the idea would not do us too good here. However, since our essay is based on the current developments and the future developments which we think are possible right now, do indicate use of unmanned vehicles in combat zones is only limited. Thus, we can expect to see more reports about research on unmanned vehicles but should not expect them to do every job for us. References Naval Research Advisory Committee Report. (2000). Unmanned Vehicles in Mine Countermeasures. United States: Office of the Assistant Secretary of The Navy. Unmanned Vehicles. (n.d.) Retrieved March 15, 2009, from http://www.shephard.co.uk/magazines/7/unmanned-vehicles. Manned vs Unmanned Vehicles. A discussion forum. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from www.strategypage.com/militaryforums/20-2.aspx Pros and Cons of Manned vs Unmanned Vehicles. A Discussion Forum. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/military/read.main/12846. U.S. Department of Defence. (2003). Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Roadmap Report. United States:Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs). http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=2064. Read More