Nexus - 0226 - New Times Magazine-pages

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for In light of recent events, are we currently in the midst of an engineered revolution such as this? THE REVOLUTION n 1994, the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the US Army War College (Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania) produced a paper entitled, "The Revolution in Military Affairs and Conflict Short of War"'. In the paper, the authors propose that, "Many American strategic thinkers believe that we are in the beginning stages of a [sic] his- torical revolution in military affairs (RMA). This will not only change the nature of war- fare, but also alter the global geopolitical balance." This revolution is not only strategic. It is also fundamentally technological. "Sensor technology, robotics, nonlethal weapons, and intelligence meshes will be used in combatting terrorism, countering narcotrafficking, and peace operations. These tech- nologies, along with simulator training and unmanned aerial vehicles, will also be useful in insurgency and counterinsurgency."* The authors of the SSI paper recommend ongoing research, analysis and debate on a number of topics including, “Technology designed specifically for conflict short of war, especially psychological, biological, and defensive technology."* They also suggest that, as “large numbers of Americans may find themselves in areas of instability and conflict”, such individuals might benefit from being "equipped with an electronic individual posi- tion locator device (IPLD). The device, derived from the electronic bracelet used to con- trol some criminal offenders or parolees, would continuously inform a central data bank of the individuals’ locations. Eventually such a device could be permanently implanted under the skin..." The paper also openly declares that, "Behavior modification is a key component of peace enforcement," and that "'Soft kill’ systems can play a key role."* Furthermore, with regard to counterinsurgency, "Greatly improved intelligence gathering and fusion is a pri- mary component of the RMA, and proposed information warfare capabilities might be ideally suited for helping develop desired emotions, attitudes or behavior." The authors recognise that, "The use of new technology may also run counter to basic American values", and that, "Deception, while frequently of great military or political value, is thought of as somehow 'un-American’."* Due to this fact, and also that the majority of Americans may find the use of many of the emerging technologies "morally difficult", the authors conclude that the military might consider that "American values and attitudes thus form significant constraints on full use of emerging technology, at least in anything short of a perceived war for national sur- vival." The central premise of the paper is that: "In its purest sense, revolution brings change that is permanent, fundamental, and rapid. The basic premise of the revolution in military affairs (RMA) is simple: throughout histo- ry, warfare usually developed in an evolutionary fashion, but occasionally ideas and inventions combined to propel dramatic and decisive change. This not only affected the application of military force, but often altered the geopolitical balance in favor of those who mastered the new form of warfare. The stakes of military revolution are thus immense..." With such "immense" stakes, might the military have felt the need to covertly foster revolution in order to bring about the change necessary to make the use of new weapons and technologies less "morally difficult" for the American people? The paper Jeaves the reader in little doubt that the answer to this question is resolutely affirmative, for the paper declares: by Glenn Krawczyk PO Box 1504 Burleigh Heads, Qld 4220 Australia JUNE - JULY 1995 NEXUS ¢ 31 by Glenn Krawczyk