Lithuania and the Miniaturization of War

 

Rather quietly, and without ostentation,  Lithuania has opened the first of an anticipated nine school campus to teach children as young as ten years to assemble, program and operate drones.  The Minister of Defense states,  "We are building serious military defense capabilities... for the neighborhood with Russia and Belarus does not allow for complacency."

Aerial reconnaissance platforms that can detect threats and deploy swarm tactics or use directed energy are comforting thoughts for a nation the size of the state of West Virginia.  But this defensive posture is a bit akin to mustard gas (an offensive weapon); which is considered the "poor nation's" chemical option.  

The LD50 of Lewisite cannot be compared to the LD50 of the organophosphate development of VX at the Porton Down Research Facility in the United Kingdom.   But we are seeing the miniaturization of war; and as it progresses, this miniaturization will include more lethal payloads.

I am not a Luddite and have always been "pro technology".   I am less enthused regarding new technologies in adolescent's hands.  In and of itself, technology is not evil.  But evil can be unleashed when the human in possession of the same lacks wisdom. We are in a century where technology has the potential to outpace, overtake, and subdue wisdom. Children have not yet grown in stature, and in the knowledge of God and His unassailable wisdom.

What happens if that twelve year old genius takes his drone skills and hones them targeting the neighborhood cat?  The operation then moves to application of armament or perhaps an Ypres moment.  Sure - a dispersal mechanism, humidity, wind velocity, and time of day must be taken into consideration.  But a cell phone and a search engine are the beginning point for such an adventure.

https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/spotlight-first-usage-poison-gas

Ethical warfare is a bit of an oxymoron.  And yes, professional standing armies have strong ethical boundaries, which while mission oriented, also factor in the thoughts of Jean Jacques Rousseau.   It is hoped there can be a stronger platform for our children and introduction of ethical frameworks as we place our future into their small hands.

swoffordwrites@gmail.com

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charlie Kirk Marcus Aurelius "Meditations" would not exist if he had been assassinated for his thoughts at age thirty-one. I would have never read Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago" if he had been assassinated for his political thoughts at thirty-one years of age. Winston Churchill would have never written "Hinge of Fate" (one of my favorite selections) had he been assassinated at thirty-one years of age. Ernest Hemingway was fifty-three years old when "The Old Man and the Sea" was published. Leon Uris was thirty-four years old when his novel "Exodus" was published. The average age of the delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention was forty-two.  Benjamin Franklin was 81 years of age at this time. The famous Persian poet Ferdowsi began writing "Shahnameh" when he was 37 years old and did not complete it until he was about seventy years of age.  This would be a tremendous loss not to have access to his though...
Read more
Image
Mohamed Elhassan He is powerful, made up of imperceptible layers.  He was only in his mid-teens when he first heeded the call to political action traveling to the Republic Palace of President Jafar Nimeiri seeking justice for his family. He is a well-respected Sufi.  In June,  he was awarded a Masters Degree in Islamic Studies from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar).  A recognized leader of the Kwahla tribe - with 16 million members.   Fast forward to 2010 and 2015 when he ran for President of the Sudan.  In 2015, it was my privilege to serve in a minor advisory role.  In recent years, he has given an enviable one hundred interviews with Al Jazeera Mobasha (life).   His name is Mohamed Elhassan.  I merely call him "friend". Mohamed Elhassan is president of the Sudanese Gathering Accord.  He is a man who knows his business, takes care of his business, and more importantly, takes care of his people. Less than a month ago he tra...
Read more

Charlie Kirk Memorial: Live Blog: The Largest Church Service in Human History

Live Blogging:  Charlie Kirk Memorial Blackfoot is comfortably snoozing in a different time zone.  So I will go ahead and start the post.  Undoubtedly, when I return to the desktop, Blackfoot will have added a few thoughts and I will enter the arena again. Security.  The word floated across my consciousness several times yesterday.  The perimeter of two stadiums and parking lots must be secured for the Charlie Kirk Memorial.  Within full envelope surveillance are tricks of the trade which most of us are unaware of - in blissful manner. Problematic, is not only an estimated crowd of 100,000 souls, but the abbreviated timeline to secure the venue.  We had a friend who worked full-time providing security for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium when it was in Irving, Texas.  When the team hosted the Super Bowl in 2011, several alphabet agencies were involved in securing the space for weeks in advance.  Every can of nacho sauce, toilet paper, and toothpick...
Read more