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Category Archives: Military

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Weapon Wednesday – Are Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems a Good Idea?

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Salon Eurosatory 2018

GETTY IMAGESCHRISTOPHE MORIN/IP3

As the power of artificial intelligence grows, the likelihood of a future war filled with killer robots grows as well. Proponents suggest that lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWs) might cause less “collateral damage,” while critics warn that giving machines the power of life and death would be a terrible mistake.

Last month’s UN meeting on ‘killer robots’ in Geneva ended with victory for the machines, as a small number of countries blocked progress towards an international ban. Some opponents of such a ban, like Russia and Israel, were to be expected since both nations already have advanced military AI programs. But surprisingly, the U.S. also agreed with them. read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Army’s New Reconnaissance Helicopter

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Sikorsky

The U.S. Army seeks a new armed reconnaissance helicopter that will range across the battlefield, acting as the eyes and ears of commanders on the ground. Planned for an introduction in the 2020s, the Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) would give the Army back a capability it lost when the service put its scout helicopters out to pasture. read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Augmented Reality Tank

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LIMPIDARMOR YOUTUBE

New technology promises to give tankers an unprecedented view of the battlefield around them—without exposing them to lethal enemy fire. Camera systems, often linked to VR headsets, can provide soldiers with a real-time view of the world outside their tank, eliminating the often severely restricted view tankers are forced to fight with. read more

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McCain was a Tale of Two Men

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by: Brent Smith at the Common Constitutionalist

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First I’d like to pay tribute to the Navy Hero. Yep – John McCain was a war hero. Not because he was shot down. That happened to many pilots during the Vietnam non-war war. It’s what happened after.

McCain was captured, then offered release by the North Vietnamese and allowed to go home. Like few others might, he refused and stayed voluntarily so as to not abandon his men, knowing full well the torture that he would be in for. He paid dearly for his decision, which adversely affected him for the rest of his life. And given the choice, I believe that Naval Officer McCain would have done it all over again for the sake of his men.

If that ain’t heroism – there is no such thing.

But why would the left, who hates the military, be so enamored with McCain?

Well, it sure couldn’t be that he was the poster boy Never-Trumper? Naw – that couldn’t be it. read more

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Weapon Wednesday – DSRaider – Military ATV

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DSRAIDER

U.S. military forces are testing a new, lightweight one-person electric vehicle. The DSRaider all-terrain vehicle has the advantages of traditional ATVs in a smaller, more compact package. Ridden upright like a Segway and capable of carrying more than three hundred pounds across rough terrain, the DSRaider is aimed at soldiers, first responders, and outdoorsmen. read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Army Continues Development of High Energy Laser

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Artist's concept of the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator
Artist’s concept of the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator(Credit: Lockheed Martin)

The US Army is moving forward with a new 100-kW laser weapon, awarding US$10 million to Lockheed Martin and Dynetics to continue development of the High Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator (HEL TVD). read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Israel Prefers F-15 to F-35

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ISRAEL-DEFENCE-GRADUATION

GETTY IMAGESJACK GUEZ

The Israeli Air Force would rather buy more F-15 Eagle fighters than the latest and greatest F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. It may be an older plane, but the F-15 apparently offers Israel more flexibility, particularly when striking its mortal enemy: Iran. read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Kalashnikov Combats Robots

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The Kalashnikov Group recently announced the development of a fully automated combat module with the capacity...
The Kalashnikov Group recently announced the development of a fully automated combat module with the capacity to make decisions and identify targets(Credit: Kalashnikov Group)

Earlier this month, the Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov Group made a low-key announcement with frightening implications. The company revealed it had developed a range of combat robots that are fully automated and used artificial intelligence to identify targets and make independent decisions. The revelation rekindled the simmering, and controversial, debate over autonomous weaponry and asked the question, at what point do we hand control of lethal weapons over to artificial intelligence? read more

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Weapon Wednesday – Latest Israeli Tank

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The Merkava Mark 4 Barak includes an artificial intelligence system
The Merkava Mark 4 Barak includes an artificial intelligence system(Credit: IDF)

The Israeli Defence Force brings artificial intelligence to armored combat with the latest variant of its main battle tank. The Merkava Mk 4 Barak is billed as the first tank to have an advanced AI and sensor system that takes over many routine tasks, allowing crews to concentrate on the mission at hand. read more

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Video Podcast – Korean War Remains Returned – GDP Growth

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by: Brent Smith at the Common Constitutionalist

The remains of multiple of U.S. troops killed in the Korean War more than six decades ago are headed back to America now after North Korean officials turned them over to military officials, the White House announced Thursday night. In all, 55 cases of remains were return so far.

And you probably noticed the United Nations banner wrapped around the crates rather than the American flag. There’s a reason for that. It ain’t a good one, but it’s America’s fault. More precisely, it’s an American President’s fault.

And let’s talk GDP growth, and why it may end up being a problem. Why? Three words: The Federal Reserve. read more