Technology Has Made Warfare More Lethal - Term Paper Example

of the English of the Teacher 15 April Technology has Made Warfare More Lethal It is a fact that in all ages and times, warfare has traditionally been associated with the loss of life and bloodshed. In that context, all wars happen to result in the loss of human life. However, in the past, the wars never happened to be so lethal. This is because in these wars the soldiers used to fight with the traditional and primitive weapons, which had a very limited killing power. Thereby, the wars of the yore mostly resulted in a comparatively contained bloodshed and the loss of human life. Yet, this does not stand to be true in case of the modern wars. Technological advancement has led to the invention and development of many new types of weapons. These weapons not only carry an immense potential to kill people, but, they are also capable of wrecking havoc over large tracts of land and the sea. Thereby, it would not be wrong to say that technology has made warfare more lethal. Going by the varied weapons of mass destruction created by the modern technology, the pervasive sway of the modern weapons over the land, sea and the sky and the way the modern weapons have made warfare really impersonal, the modern technology enabled warfare is much deadlier and lethal as compared to the wars of the past. The one way technology has made wars utterly lethal and dangerous is by creating weapons of mass destruction like the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. In the earlier wars the weapons used by the warring sides tended to be such that they happened to be limited in terms of the death and destruction they caused. However, things are not the same with the modern day wars that happen to be highly dependent on technology. Today technology has lead to the creation of extremely lethal weapons of mass destruction. Weapons of mass destruction is an umbrella term used to refer to the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons which tend to cause a large scale destruction and a widespread loss of the human, animal and plant life (Cordesman 506). The nuclear weapons created by the modern technology if used in warfare, do not discriminate between the civilian and military targets and give way to a pervasive human and environmental destruction, the effects of which may last for decades. . The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during the Second World War released energy equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT and killed approximately more than one 1,00,000 people (Mueller 10). Similarly the atomic bomb that was dropped over Nagasaki released energy equivalent to 21,000 tons of TNT and killed nearly 75,000 people (Mueller 10). This statistics is enough to convey the lethality and risk inherent in the modern day nuclear weapons made possible by technology. However, the saving grace with the nuclear weapons is that their technology is still confined to a few nations only. Yet, the same could not be said of the chemical and biological weapons created by the modern day technology. In fact it is really cheap and affordable to produce chemical and biological weapons with the use of technology. Also, the destruction caused by the chemical and biological weapons happens to be almost as painful and ever more inhuman as compared to the nuclear weapons. In the current times there are many rogue states and dictators who have in their possession the chemical and biological weapons. In fact, such dictators freely use chemical and biological weapons against the innocent civilian populations, as it happened recently in Syria. The reality is that all these weapons of mass destruction that could kill thousands of people at one go have been made possible by the technology. Thereby, technology has made warfare much lethal by creating these weapons of mass destruction. The other important thing about the technology enabled warfare is that it has infinitely extended the scope of modern day warfare over the land, air and the sea, thereby making wars more pervasive and deadly (Gray 169). In the old times, wars were mostly confined to the land or the sea and thereby happened to be very limited in terms of their scope. However, technology has changed things for the worse. Today technology has lead to the creation of such sophisticated weapons that could be operated on land, in air and at the sea (Gray 169). There are sophisticated fighter planes that could reach any part of the world in a matter of a few minutes and could wreck havoc over large swathes of military and civilian targets. There are bombers that could resort to carpet bombing over large tracts of land. Technology has also led to the invention of aircraft carriers, frigates and nuclear powered submarines that could unleash sophisticated and destructive weapons both from above and from below the sea. Technology has also created an array of guns, cannons, rockets, tanks and missiles that could target military and civilian populations from miles away. The other bad thing is that many of these weapons mentioned above do also have the ability to carry and launch weapons of mass destruction like the nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. This certainly adds to the gravity and lethality of the modern, technology aided warfare. Technology has expanded the scope of the warfare and has made it more pervasive and expansive. There is not part of the universe, be it the land, the air or the sea that is not vulnerable to the modern day weapons. Technology has assured that the wars of the future will be highly pervasive and much more deadly. It is indeed sad that technology has divested the modern day warfare of human emotions and concern, thereby making the modern day wars really lethal and inhuman. In the earlier times the soldiers who fought wars were able to see and watch the enemy soldiers they killed and wounded. Thereby, by virtue of being a human, the soldiers desisted from causing unnecessary bloodshed or from targeting and killing innocent citizens. Thereby, in the old times the wars happened to be subject to human values and the laws of the war. In that context, it would not be wrong to say that technology has divested the modern warfare of its human conscience. Today, many nations have modern weapons like sophisticated intercontinental missiles that could drop conventional and nuclear weapons over the enemy nations located miles away. The soldiers do not need to be in close contact with their targets. Technology has also led to the invention of remote controlled weapons like the drones that could drop bombs and missiles over targets, not matter where they are located. This distancing of the soldier from one’s target has made warfare very impersonal (Scarborough A01). Just because the soldiers are not required to watch the people they kill, they feel no moral pangs while killing people located far away from them (Scarborough A01). By doing so technology has not only made warfare very lethal, but, has also led to, “asymmetric warfare that often rises issues lying beyond established norms of military conduct (Allenby 70).” Hence, technology has deprived the modern warfare of all the traditional human values and concerns. By doing so it has made wars more insane, uncontrolled and devastating in their approach and scope. There are experts who believe that technology has made weapons more sophisticated, precise and accurate, thereby allowing the soldiers to contain the unwanted loss of the human life. However, the irony is that this stands to be true only in a theoretical context. Such claims need to be ascertained in the light of the modern day wars. For instance, consider any modern military conflict, be it the Iraq War, or the Afghanistan campaign or the civil war in Syria. It is a fact supported by ample media reports that the sophisticated weapons made possible by technology have led to the death of thousands of military and civilian people in these conflicts. Had technology made warfare more humane and limited, it would not have caused such a large scale loss of the human life in these conflicts. Hence, it is a valid fact that technology has further added to the lethality and dangerousness of war. It can be concluded without any doubt that technology has led to the invention of the weapons of mass destruction that could kill thousands of people at one go. Not only this, but also, in the modern, technology driven warfare, it is possible to wage wars on land, in the air and on the sea. This has indeed much expanded the scope of the modern wars, making it possible to inflict damage on a much wider surface area. Besides, the modern weapons like missiles and drones allow the soldiers to kill people while being hundreds of miles away from the scene of action. This has made warfare very impersonal as the soldiers are not able to personally witness the death and destruction suffered by the enemy. Thereby, modern wars do tend to be lacking in moral restraint. Hence, technology has indeed made warfare very lethal and dangerous. Works Cited Allenby, Braden R. “Are New Technologies Undermining the Laws of War?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 70.1 (2014):21-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 April 2014. Cordesman, Anthony H. Peace and War. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2007. Print. Gray, Colin S. Modern Strategy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Mueller, John. Atomic Obsession. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Scarborough, Rowan. “Unmanned Warfare: Air, Land, Sea Systems taking Growing Role”. The Washington Times: A01. Print. Read More