Homo sapiens evolved over time. In the evolutionary process of human history, war has been a crucial feature of their lives. The war happened for various reasons – be it for religion, wealth, race, or the imaginative notion of the nation-state. In the course of various wars, the human race has demonstrated a tendency to evolve not just their techniques and strategies but also the nature of their weapons. In this context, technology has played a crucial role.
Technology has proven to be a crucial factor in impacting the nature of warfare, and this impact is not just limited to one country, continent, or hemisphere, much like the history of human migration, which was a global phenomenon as Yuval Noah Harari highlighted in his magnum opus work Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind. Technology has been exerting profound impacts on the nature, course and modes of warfare.
The technological impact on warfare is multifarious. First, it has made war more lethal and destructive. If the course of warfare from the beginning of the Christian era till the present day is taken into account then it will be noted that wars were fought mainly using bows and arrows, swords with the aid of horses and other animals like elephants (in India, Magadha was the first ‘mahanjanpada’ that used elephants as the tool of warfare). However, over time the weapons of warfare evolved making them more lethal, this is evident from the invention of gunpowder in China in the ninth century CE, which was exported around the world.
The British were the first to use tanks against the Germans in the Battle of the Somme to break the deadlock of trench warfare. The application of technology was also used for the production of lethal gases such as sarin gas, mustard gas and chlorine gas, which caused thousands of deaths on both sides of the belligerents
When the industrial revolution took place in England in the 19th century, its technological impact was felt in the field of warfare as well. New kinds of weapons began to be built. The First World War saw the invention of new weapons such as tanks and fighter jets. The British were the first to use the tank against the Germans in the Battle of the Somme to break the deadlock of trench warfare. The application of technology was also used for the production of lethal gases such as sarin gas, mustard gas and chlorine gas, which caused thousands of deaths on both sides of the belligerents.
The Second World War saw the invention of an even more terrifying weapon – the Atomic Bomb. “I become death, the destroyer of worlds,” said J Robert Oppenheimer, the architect of Project Manhattan. The atomic bombs were dropped and were used only once resulting in the deaths of some 1,50,000 people in Japan. New innovations like V2 Rockets and gas chambers highlighted the lethality of the technological aspect of warfare.
Secondly, technology has ensured the deployment of fewer boots on the ground for the purpose of achieving objectives. It has made war more precise and more tech-savvy with fewer chances of collateral damage. This is evident from the use of advanced weapons of war like drones known popularly as UCAV (unmanned combat aerial vehicles), precision-guided missiles, and killer robots inter alia. An example is the recent US drone strike in Afghanistan, which eliminated the emir of Al-Qaeda Ayman Al Zawahiri. The attack was carried out by a Predator drone armed with AGM-114 hellfire missiles.
The ongoing Russo-Ukraine war is a good example of how technology is employed to lessen battlefield casualties. Ukraine unable to match the conventional superiority of the Russian side is using drones – cheap and portable – to damage Russian war infrastructure.
Since technology has made the cost of waging wars prohibitive, the world is vying for peace. An interesting aspect of this enforcement of peace is the notion that atomic weapons are not weapons of war, but weapons of peace. The US, Russia, China and India have amassed large nuclear arsenals but nobody dares use them
Thirdly, technology has made war more covert – technology has altered the dynamics of power politics in the international political arena. When a country cannot match its adversary in conventional strength, it resorts to covert means, in the language of military affairs this is known as a proxy war. The evolution in technology has enabled countries like Pakistan to up the ante when it comes to enhancing their proxy war against India. The spurt in drones deploying weapons or psychotropic substances in Punjab or Jammu and Kashmir or being used as a tool of war signifies how technology is being used to revolutionise proxy warfare vis-a-vis India-Pakistan rivalry. Further cyber attacks have become quite common, in fact, Israel and Iran regularly engage in a game of proxy cyber warfare.
Fourthly, since technology has made the cost of waging wars prohibitive, the world is vying for peace. A very interesting aspect of this enforcement of peace is the notion that atomic weapons are not weapons of war, but weapons of peace. China, the USA, Russia and India have amassed large nuclear arsenals but nobody dares use them. The idea of Pax Atomica has universal acceptability. This is demonstrated best by India, which despite being a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a responsible and peace-loving nuclear power. The possibility of a third World War with the use of nuclear weapons has conjured up images of a dystopian future, so nuclear and other lethal weapons, which have revolutionised warfare and are the blessings of high technology, are best avoidable.
Lastly, technology has made defence one of the most important sectors of the modern economy of any country. The global dominance of America is due to its military-industrial complex. The definition of power in great power politics today is hard power that is based on military strength. Realising this, India since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has aggressively promoted autarky in the field of defence. Such thinking is prevalent in China as well. This is evident from China’s aggressively modernising its armed forces by upgrading its technological base in order to transform the PLA into a modern fighting force.
Conclusion
As the human race advances it is imperative that technology be used in the right manner. Science was invented in order to make the life of human beings easier. Science and technology must not be used for foul purposes. Technology should be used only for the benefit of humankind and must not be allowed to become like Frankenstein’s monster that kills its own creator. That doomsday scenario must never be allowed to come.
– The writer is currently working as a Research Associate at Defence Research and Studies (dras.in) and is a columnist. The views expressed are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
