Science and technology is a field that continuously evolves, and this is depicted by the emergence of products that are developed through extensive research. For instance, the US military spends about $ 600 billion on military, and this includes funding research for purposes of developing new weapons and upgrading the existing new weapons. Other countries such as China and Russia are also spending a large amount of money to fund research on military technologies. For example, China used about $213 billion in 2015 for purposes of funding its military power and improving the technologies that its military organizations use. In 2017, China increased its military spending power by 7%. There are a number of reasons that make these countries to use a large amount of money for purposes of military research and developing new weapons. One of the reasons is that these countries feel vulnerable, and to protect themselves and their interests, they need to develop weapons that are technologically advanced. This increased investment in military power has led to the emergence of military technologies such as laser weapons, drone fighters, and radar evading aircrafts. These technologies have played a role in improving the security of America, and this is because the country is able to use them for purposes of eliminating or deterring any security threats that is directed to the country.
It is an obvious fact that the administration of President Obama was successfully in using drones to eliminate terror group leaders in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and other parts of the world. The drone technology is an important element of military power and the United States has used it to eliminate terrorist leaders such as Baitullah Mehsud, who was a leading Taliban leader responsible for organizing military attacks against American forces. Other terrorists who have been eliminated by the use of drones include Fateh al Masri and Anwar al-Awlaki. These two were prominent Al-Qaeda leaders, whose group had vowed to kill American citizens and their allies all over the whole. Therefore, eliminating these people was a way of ensuring the safety of American and citizens belonging to countries that collaborate with Americans. In fact, since 2004, the drone technology has been used for purposes of tracking and eliminating Al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan. America has been successful in this initiative, because it managed to eliminate about 2500 suspected terrorists, while minimizing civilian deaths. This is because the drones were equipped with surveillance technology and accuracy precision technologies that ensure only the targeted people were eliminated. On this note, it is possible to denote that an increase in drone technology can help to keep Americans safe.
We can do it today.
However, this is an assertion that Ozcan and Burmaoglu opposes. In the view of scholar, drone technology is a failure because it increases the number of civilians killed in battle, resulting to the opposition of American forces and lack of collaboration between American militaries and local people found in areas where the army is engaging in operations. For instance, in Afghanistan, about 19,000 civilians were killed by drones. This is a large number of people and it had the capability of spoiling the relationship that the American army had with the local people. This kind of relationship is important because it would enable the Army to collect intelligence information that they could use to protect themselves and people collaborating with them. A good example where Americans won the war through collaboration with the local people is Iraq, where the army managed to establish good relationships with the local people, who in turn helped in providing intelligence information about the activities of terror cells in the country. This strategy was successful because the Army managed to convince these people on the need of collaborating with them, and that the America was concerned about their security.
However, it is important to assert that in as much as collaborations with the local community is important for the security of America, it does not mean that using drones will make people to distrust American security personnel and fail to collaborate with them. To prevent the misuse of drones, there is a need of developing regulatory laws and principles that will guide military and security officers who are using the technology for purposes of eliminating the threat. For instance, one of the principles that the Army observes before using drones is the extent of damage that the drone attack would cause. If the attack would cause extensive civilian loss and damage, then the Army will be prohibited from carrying out the attack. In fact, it is not only America that is integrating the drone system in its Army, but countries such as Russia and China have an extensive drone program aimed at strengthening their army. For instance, China has considered using surveillance drones for purposes of reducing the rates of drug trafficking into the country. Russia uses them to collect intelligence information in battle fields such as Syria, and Israel, a leader in drone technology uses these devices for precision attacks against terrorists and to collect intelligence data that can be used for purposes of military planning. On this note, increasing the development of drone technology is an important military activity that can protect Americans and its allies.
However, while arguing against increasing the military technology, Adam and John assert that not all conflicts can be solved by the use of armed forces. The US military has been formidable for a long period of time, and because of this strength, there instances where the country has used the army for purposes of resolving problems that could be solved in a diplomatic manner. A good example where the military was used and the consequences did not make America safe is in Iraq and Libya. While attacking Iraq, President Bush denoted that the country had weapons of mass destruction; hence the need of attacking it. America attacked Iraq without the authorization of the United Nations. Furthermore, it turned out that Iraq did not have any weapon of mass destruction, thus the war was unnecessary. Results of attacking Iraq and overthrowing the regime of President Saddam Hussein are the emergence of terrorism groups, and the most prominent being the Islamic State. This is a terror group that has threatened the citizens of America and other foreign nationals, to the extent of beheading them and posting the pictures on the electronic media. Another example is in Libya where the military used sophisticated aircrafts to remove President Gadhafi from power, and the result is that the country is unstable, and it hosts a number of terror cells such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State. On this note, it is the sophisticated military technology that America has, that motivates them into engaging in unnecessary wars, whose end result is instability in the regions involved and the emergence of terror groups; thus, making Americans less safe.
However, the assertions that the US military invests in the production of new technologies for purposes of engaging in meaningless wars is not correct. However, the aim of developing these technologies is to serve American national interests. For instance, it is to the interests of America for North Korea to be disarmed of its nuclear weapons and to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. To have the capability of achieving these objectives, America must have a nuclear shield, that will protect American cities from nuclear attacks. Therefore, the country must engage in continuous research for purposes of developing weapons that can intercept ballistic missiles. On this note, an efficient military technology will be developed after an assessment of the military capabilities of the country and the threats facing the country. For instance, China and Russia have weapons that can cause extensive damage to the American cities and military bases. To efficiently defend against these weapons, America must produce superior weapons that will give the country a military advantage over its enemies. In fact, possessing superior and lethal weapons will deter American enemies from acting against the national interest of the country. This will in turn make the citizens of the country safe.
Finally, increasing military technology is beneficial to the country and this is because it will help in making Americans safer. For instance, through military technology such as drones, the army is able to locate and eliminate people who are threatening American security such as terrorists. The administration of President Obama has used this technology successfully to eliminate top leaders of Al-Qaeda and Islamic terror groups. On this note, the assertion that drones should be eliminated because they result to the death of civilians is uncalled, since with proper regulation, drones attacks can minimize the death of civilians. Furthermore, improving the military technology will help in deterring the enemies of the country from engaging in activities that act against the national interest of America. For instance, possessing a nuclear weapon will deter countries such as Russia and China from using their nuclear weapons against America. This will in turn guarantee the safety of Americans.
- BBC News. “China to increase military spending by 7% in 2017.” BBC News. March 04, 2017. Accessed March 29, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-39165080.
- Liff, Adam P., and G. John Ikenberry. “Racing toward tragedy?: China’s rise, military competition in the asia pacific, and the security dilemma.” International Security 39, no. 2 (2014): 52-91.
- Saritas, Ozcan, and Serhat Burmaoglu. “Future of sustainable military operations under emerging energy and security considerations.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 102 (2016): 331-343.
- Walker, Dinah. Trends in US military spending. Council on Foreign Relations, 2013.