The Evolution of Military Technology

From the sculpting of arrowheads to dropping atom bombs, mankind’s military technology has played an important role in the history of technology. However, understanding the driving forces behind this evolution has been challenging.

New research from Complexity Science Hub in Vienna has identified population size, major technological advances, and geographic connectivity as key drivers of the evolution of military technology prior to the Industrial Revolution. This study could help researchers better understand the driving forces behind this evolution and other technological developments in general.

Modernization of the Nuclear Forces

The United States is investing billions of dollars to modernize the nuclear triad–bombers, submarines, and ground-based missiles–as well as their warheads, command, control, and communications systems. These programs involve a huge investment in military technology and require the ongoing attention of policymakers, technologists, and industrial leaders to ensure that modernization is done right.

While some of these systems are a welcome improvement, others present new risks. For example, the use of digital technologies can improve functionality but also expose the system to cyber security vulnerabilities.

These technological advances are a challenge for defense acquisition and procurement programs, which are under pressure to meet ambitious cost and schedule commitments, even in the face of evolving cyber security risks. These risks can have serious consequences for the operational reliability of these systems and require urgent and ongoing management.

Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence

Autonomous systems and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the way we think about, build and operate technology. They’re enabling new ways of automating tasks that used to require human supervision, such as robotics and autonomous vehicles.

These systems have the potential to revolutionize our world by reducing costs, increasing efficiency and improving safety. However, they also raise many concerns.

Machine learning—the ability of AI to learn from experience without human supervision—is at the heart of these systems. It can help them understand the environment, make decisions and improve in real-time.

Creating a system that can handle these types of complex tasks is still an enormous challenge, as it requires sophisticated sensing and computing power. Even so, the research is continuing.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles

Unmanned ground vehicles, also called robotic platforms or remotely controlled vehicles, are designed to perform a wide range of tasks without the presence of human operators. These systems are used in a variety of commercial, civilian, and military applications.

UGVs are a vital part of modern military technology, as they perform many critical missions without putting troops in danger. These vehicles help to carry equipment, pick up casualties, and assist in search & rescue efforts during natural disasters and accidents.

Currently, UGVs are mainly equipped with cameras and sensors for acquiring information about the environment. The data is then transmitted to a human operator, who can control the vehicle from a different location.

Improved Surveillance

Improved surveillance is a key factor in modern warfare and an important component of a state’s military technology. It allows states to detect smaller things or behaviors, make observation more pervasive, and reduce the cost of intelligence gathering.

The use of improved surveillance to identify weapons and equipment that are hidden from sight will increase over time, affecting defense and offense efforts alike. It will also help states to maintain situational awareness in airspace, maritime claims and their home territory.

This technology could also affect disease outbreak detection and prevention. It could enable public health officials to quickly detect diseases and other infectious or non-infectious health problems before they spread and become difficult to control.