The Future of Warfare: What will the Battlefield Look Like in 2050

back in 1992 political scientist Francis fiama published his work the end of history and the last man in which he argued that with the end of the Cold War Humanity has also reached the end of history with the Triumph of Western Star mature democracies it was less likely for countries to enter conflict and go to war with one another but our planet and inhabitants have proven fyama wrong history Marches On and sadly it is as ever fueled by conflict and War the way we fight each other has changed greatly since the early 199 90 s

and strategies tactics and Equipment are due to evolve even more in the coming decades thanks to increasingly accelerated advances in Computing technology so that is the big question are we able to accurately predict how future Wars will be fought and what will the battlefield of 2050 look [Music] like unsurprisingly the most detailed description of how infantry or fight future Wars comes from the best funded military in the world the US armed forces in 2023 Chris OS born presidents of the center of military modernization laid out a concept for what the future American main battle tank

will look like the optionally manned tank as the name suggests it may or may not require a human crew to operate in fact it is more likely to be completely remote or even autonomous to attack mechanized formations in close proximity conduct high-risk surveillance and deliver ammunition to the front lines the optionally man tank will be assisted by aerial drones which will capture videos of enemy units and Rel them to the AI enabled computer within the vehicle intelligence will be processed either autonomously or by human decision makers enabling the tank to Stage a sound tactical plan

in the words of Lieutenant General Ross kofman Deputy commander of the US Army Futures command quote we will use AI to reduce the cognitive burden but we allow human reason and decision-making to assess those items not exactly tangible where there is not a ones and zero solution but according to most military futurologists the main battle tank will cease to be king of the battlefields in 2050 in 2018 the US Army research laboratory issued a paper titled ground Warfare in 2050 how it might look which was authored by Alexander cot at the computational information Sciences directorate

based on a un prediction that by 2050 68% of the planet's population will live in cities cot estimated that most combat will take place mostly in dense urban areas amidst broken rubble a good deal of fighting might also take place in heavily forested or jungle terrain hence while some ground vehicles will still rely on Wheels and tracks to get around leged Locomotion will become increasingly important that's right by 2050 we may have something similar to mechs or atss or in cot's words ground robots will be equipped with limbs for climbing over Boulders PS of Fallen

trees Urban rubble and such Army Walkers will be most likely modest in size similar to a mule or a bear they can be used to transport one or two soldiers at a time but their main use will be to transport communication equipment machine guns or light artillery pieces other soldiers will travel independently either on foot or assisted by exoskeletons ground Vehicles will be assisted by small unmanned areal crafts Which cot describes as helicopter robots which will Ferry them to the front line by flying very close to the ground a technique known as nap of thee

flight or Noe these helicopter robots will also be in charge of resupplying both personnel and their combat vehicles but the latter will also need to be frequently recharged Co predict that most gear will be electric and thus specialized robotic Vehicles will roam the battlefield acting as mobile power plants they may even use Laser Technology to power their ground and Airborne buddies remotely the future battlefields are will be made even more lethal than today by the use of Highly Advanced Weaponry the Army research laboratory envisages the use of high supersonic missiles and ammunition most of which

will be intelligent and autonomous in other words Rockets or even small caliber bullets may be able to quote perceive and assess the targets the surrounding environment form an effective plan of attack that depends on specific conditions of defenses and counter measures of the target identify the best attack points on the Target and collaborate with other missiles to defeat the target's protection these missiles will be fired from lightly crewed or even entirely unmanned batteries rapidly prepositioned by the use of infantry Walkers or Noe craft if that doesn't sound terrifying enough probably should artillery and small weapons

Far will be deployed alongside directed energy weapons or lasers as as well as cyber electromagnetic activities or SEMA which will disable the opposing side's weaponry and defense systems faced with this level of threat how can future soldiers possibly protect themselves well one option that cop predicts is that by 2050 battles will extend beneath the ground thanks to the use of tunnel digging robotic machines a second option is to use what cot defines as intelligent anti missiles fired from autonomous protection Vehicles deployed around the fire platforms the basic concept is to intercept incoming pointy scary things

with more outgoing pointy scary things a more refined concept is to use clouds of drones hovering above friendly positions they may fire anti-missiles or simply sacrifice themselves by diving in front of the enemy shells and taking the hit as per the use of heavy armor this will become less common as it may prove ineffective against sophisticated intelligent missiles light armor may still be used to protect Personnel against shrapnel and frying debris now look war is in ly chaotic but the war of the Future Sounds incredibly chaotic hence there is going to be an increased importance

on intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance equipment or ISR intelligence will be collected mainly through unmanned ground and aerial robots of small and micro size these ISR Bots will be fitted with high resolution sensors capable of generating 3D images of acquired targets both in the visible and infrared bands these renders will then be shared in real time with the command and control system or C2 which will be highly automated and capable of taking autonomous decisions based on the acquired intelligence another key feature of C2 systems will be redundancy in other words instead of relying on a single

C2 Center infantry units will receive orders from multiple smaller nodes to minimize the risk of them being hacked jammed or destroyed by the enemy to make matters even more secure Communications between C2 systems and fighting units will be delivered via low power and short range Transmissions information will usus hop from one node to the other using small ground and aerial robots acting as relays and communication lines will be protected by quote autonomous intelligence cyber defense agents capable of continuously monitoring the networks and hosts and detecting and assessing the enemy malware actions now the scenarios described

so far rely heavily on autonomous intelligent machines or less so on the human element Alexander Cod does acknowledge that quote the battlefield of the future will be populated by fewer humans but he does predict that these humans will be quote physically and mentally augmented with enhanced [Music] capabilities so how exactly will future soldiers be augmented or enhanced in October 2019 a study group within the US Army published a report answering exactly that question the study group was the biotechnologies for Health and Human Performance Council and their report was titled cyber Soldier 2050 human machine Fusion

and the implications for the future of the dod the objective of their analysis was quote to determine the potential of machines that are physically integrated within the human body to augment and enhance the performance of human beings over the next 30 Years end quote the authors of the report predicted that infantryman's bodies and performance could be augmented in four possible ways through ocular enhancements program muscular control auditory enhancements and direct neural enhancement of the central nervous system now let's consider the these in detail starting with ocular augmentation according to the study group battlefields in 2050

are expected to be dense Urban environments or Subterranean mega cities that will challenge identification and tracking of targets therefore they Envision that soldiers eyes may be technologically enhanced to increase their ability to acquire enemy positions and share data in real time the enhancements May manifest in two possible ways a soldier's healthy eyes may be overl with an ocular enhancement system capable of perceiving images beyond the normal visual Spectrum in other words thanks to ocular implants soldiers will be able to perceive infrared or thermal signatures without the need of special goggles these implants may also be

capable of computation or capabilities thus allowing fighters to identify targets with Incredible accuracy data screams captured through the ocular implants would then travel through the optic nerve and into the brain but Advanced versions of these enhancements may even be able to transmit the acquired data to other soldiers command and control centers or even to unman fighting Vehicles the second option can considered by the study group is a complete replacement of the eyeball with a mechanical or electronic device such a device could potentially capture and interpret a much wider spectrum of visual data compared to the

first option so an overall win for the cyborgs of the future the study group acknowledges that it is unlikely that individuals would willingly undergo removal of healthy tissue in an area considered to be sensitive to which we can say no the council in fact introduces a key concept any artificial enhance to combat Personnel should be considered mainly for those who have suffered debilitating injuries or disease in this specific case they state that quote ocar enhancement would be an attractive medical option in situations where the eye tissue has been damaged or destroyed the Central and critical

role that Vision plays in society would likely motivate War fighters who have lost part or all of their Vision to voluntarily undergo surgery that would restore or even improve their ability to see so RoboCop was right sight is not the only set soldiers rely on Mo and here ing is equally important fighters in 2050 may be able to undergo a modification or even a complete replacement of their middle ear bones and the Cocker this would improve the solders hearing abilities allowing them to perceive frequencies beyond the grass with the human ear such as low amplitude

sounds such capabilities would power up their situational awareness enabling Frontline combatants to identify threats beyond their field of vision however enhanced that field of vision may be as per the previous example the dod study group expects that quote those with acceptable current auditory capability ities would be unlikely to receive this type of enhancement next the biotechnologies for Health and Human Performance Council looked at how to enhance muscle control and physical performance the study group envisages that this could be achieved through a optogenetic controller I.E a network of sensors placed under the skin which would stimulate

critical muscle tissue and nerve nodes via programmed light pulses these sensors would effectively be able to control the movements of soldiers or quote to affect a fluid muscular action in a choreograph dance the end goal in this case would be to minimize casualties through automated Hazard avoidance to restore the function of damage joint or muscles and in general to enhance the physical capabilities of combat Personnel in a further evolution of this concept the optogenetic controller could be pre-programmed to perform highly complex and hazardous tasks the controller would then become a sort of artificial Puppet Master

guiding the limbs and movements of even a novice Soldier into performing beats worthy of a special forces operative and finally the council looked at a key aspect of future warfare how will Personnel interface themselves with weapon systems and unmanned fighting vehicles in their view this will happen via BCI or brain computer interfacing in Practical terms the brain activity of soldiers may be monitored via electrodes placed on their skull or even implanted directly onto their brains thanks to these electrodes trained Personnel will be able to control with their thoughts the actions of vehicles and equipment connected

to the same network these implants may even be used to convey information directly from Frontline Personnel to command and control centers and vice versa the dod experts foresee that this type of neural implant may be operational as early as 2030 and made available to Special Forces fighter pilots and unmanned Fighting Vehicle operators the biotechnology for Health and Human Performance Council also takes into account the long-term effects of enhancing personnel's physical sensory and mental performance for example the study group considers or what happens when an enhanced individual returns to civilian life will the military deactivate or

downgrade the enhancements previously applied and if so what could be the impact on the individual from the biological psychological and social perspective the council considers the possibility that these veterans may suffer from post-enhancement distress syndrome or PDS characterized by feelings of inferiority withdrawal or depression on the other hand what if enhanced individuals retain their military issue upgrades the artificial implants may cause serious health problems in the long run requiring treatment or even hospitalization will the arm forces be required to put the bill and even if the upgraded veterans experience no ailment whatsoever they would have

to contend with public opinion will they be admired as a heroic former fighter endowed with superhuman capabilities or will they face Prejudice and ostracism in general the dod Council appears very concerned with the ethical implications of creating cyborg soldiers and honestly rightfully so a key point is enhancements can't be forced upon defense Personnel but soldiers could volunteer to under under go the necessary procedures now considering the uncertainties of the longrun implications how can those volunteers possibly make an informed decision though and that's where the study group suggests that cybernetic enhancements should be offered to Personnel

who have suffered debilitating injuries and whose function may be restored or even augmented by the procedure that we described earlier RoboCop style in any case the council recommends that quote ongoing efforts to develop biotechnological enhancements must be accompanied by continuity of research to prospectively EV valuate the benefits burdens and harms incurred by individuals bystanders and groups clinical care must be extended to individuals who are burdened or harmed by biotechnological [Music] enhancements now when it comes to fighting in the skies in 2050 future programs are harder to come by but the US Air Force secretary Frank

Kendall interviewed in November 2022 provided a likely direction of evolution the most likely scenario is that the future Air Force will revolve around the Next Generation air dominant stealth fighter jet or Eng each Eng will be supported by up to five unmanned combat aerial vehicles or uavs that's drones to you and me these drones will perform a variety of functions including surveillance reconnaissance testing enemy anti-aircraft defenses and even mid-flight refueling but the uavs will also be used in an attack function to deliver missiles against enemy forces without endangering the Ang ad's crew it appears that

drones are set to take an increasingly large role in AAL Warfare future models may replace fighter jets altogether reporting back to command and control centers placed on the ground or on drone carrier vessels while the role of uavs may become larger their size is expected to shrink a possible development is that of micr drones tiny flying machines measuring as little as 1,000th of a meter in length which is about the width of a strand of hair swarms over these micro drones could be direct from afar to Search and Destroy enemy targets with millimetric Precision this

type of weapon system will clearly need to rely on a reliable and extremely safe Network lest enemy forces hack into it and take control of friendly ucav as a consequence Air Forces will have to shift a great deal of resources to proactively hunting cyber threats future aial combat is very likely to extend beyond the atmosphere and into low earth orbit where enemy Powers will seek to destroy each other's military satellites the weapons of choice uh like to be drones and drone sworns specifically designed to operate in space and to blend in with space debris to

avoid detection such drones may be delivered into orbit by a private or governmental carrier potentially concealed within a larger payload the Swarm will then be released and idle in orbit for weeks or even months until the time comes to kick into action remote operators would then fire the drones propulsion systems which may rely on cold gas jets and launch an attack against an enemy satellites or their own Fleet of drones [Music] the evolution of lands and air weapon systems including enhancements to Personnel is very much susceptable to change and defense Ministries around the world will

have to keep an open mind as Technologies and strategic priorities evolve over the next three decades when it comes to the naval forces of major Powers there is more pressure for them to prioritize their procurement decisions right now as ships and submarines are way more expensive than drones and land Vehicles therefore Admirals secretaries and ministers need to get the most out of them meaning that any vessel commissioned within this decade will likely still be in service by 2050 according to Dr EMS Albury sea Power Research fellow at the Council on geost strategy navies worldwide should

be quote grappling with questions about how to best incorporate technological advances into platforms systems and operations budgets are not infinite and may well become tighter so navies need to make decisions about prioritization and sustainability in order to meet the moment in her view navies of the future may face a recruitment problem leading to the evolution of smaller vessels partially or even entirely automated ones these theoretical Concepts might materialize in the construction of the US Navy's Next Generation guided missile destroyer or DDX estimated to start in 2028 the ship will be powered by an evolution of

the integrated electrical propulsion systems used by the zor class destroyers commissioned back in 2016 this system will be able to generate more than 75 megawatts of electricity which should be enough to light up a small town more importantly it should enable the dgx to travel 50% farther than the zomalt Destroyers with 25% of the fuel consumption this will allow the new generation vessels to conduct longer Missions at lower cost the integrated electrical system will also be in charge of powering the ship's state-of-the-art defense systems which will include spy 6 air surge radar as well as

an array of 600 kilowatt lasers designed to interdict incoming hostile missiles in terms of offensive weapons the DD GX will house an mk41 vertical launch system with capability for 32 missile cells if required the 32 cells can be replaced with 12 larger canisters able to fire Hypersonic missiles many of the dgx systems will be automated but the ship will still be crude however future Naval units are expected to be supported by an increasing number of unmanned Vehicles both above and below the surface and while aerial drones may become smaller and smaller in Navy circles size

still matters the US Navy and its contractor Boeing are already experimenting with extra- large underwater unman vehicles or XL UVS such as the Orca this will essentially be a remote controlled submarine designed for long range M laying missions but it may be used in a wide variety of other missions including actively engaging targets underwater on Surface or even on land on the other side of the Atlantic British Think Tank UK Nest or UK Naval engineering science and technology is looking at another set of challenges for the year 2050 fuel scarcity lack of supplies for squadrons

on longrange missions sea level rise and increased risk of natural disasters to that end UK Nest has developed three conceptual Naval designs the first one is HMS Minos or modular integrated Naval operations ship which will host an onboard farm and a facility to recharge its batteries by exploiting tid or waves while in Port Minos will also boast to quote exterior skin modeled after sea creatures for Signature management that means avoiding detection by enemy ra are the second concept is for a naval base urania or United renewable alternate Naval interchangeable at Sea it's a hell of

a mouthful isn't it this modular base will be powered through wind solar and tidal energy and will also have its own Farm which will be able to deploy unmanned submarines to harvest algae from the sea floor yummy and finally HMS Aries will be entirely dedicated to collecting solar energy through AI controlled mirrors in order to power other Naval units the Spanish Navy is also at the Forefront of futuristic research investing heavily in two Fields the use of generative AI which will enable faster decision making and predictive analysis and the development of directed energy weapons or

lasers to combat the threat of aerial and Naval [Music] drones regardless of whether fighting on land sea air or in space armies of the future will always have to contend with a fifth domain cyberspace this isn't shocking news as cyber attacks against against military or civilian targets online disinformation or the use of social media to acquire intelligence have become common place in the mid 2020s these capabilities and techniques are due to continuously evolve in future conflicts with military futurists expecting an arms race in the field of quantum information science or qis in very simple terms

Quant computers rely on the superposition of particles rather than binary digits which gives them the ability to process information much faster than their traditional counterparts this means that whichever power will have the edge on qis will be able to break through the Cyber defenses put up by their adversaries in particular such power will be able to nullify the adversaries cryptography measures and thus intercept all their Communications in general according to the already quoted Alexander cot the development of qis will have a massive impact on the capabilities of armed forces as a whole quote developing the

qis field will revolutionize military Concepts qas is expected to take a massive Leap Forward only in the 2030s and 40s but again it's all theoretical anticipating the future is always a tricky business and all of the predictions covered thus far might be disproven by developments in technology or shifts in the geopolitical landscape so while it's important for armed forces to visualize and experiment with tactical enhancements it's equally important for military theorists to identify high level trends that will shape future military Doctrine not necessarily committing to specific technological advancements and according to Dr Kevin Benson and

Dr James K Greer writing for West Point's Modern War instit Institute there are three main Trends to take into account for future conflicts the extension of combined arms Doctrine Beyond its usual domains the globalization of all conflicts in unforeseen ways and the democratization of Warfare let's consider combined arms Warfare shall we traditionally this has been intended as close cooperation between infantry armor artillery and air support according to Benson and Greer future strategists will need to extend this notion to include space cyber and electromagnetic Warfare coordinated by AI enabled command and control systems The increased role

of cyber attacks implies that all campaigns even apparently localized ones will become Global in other words Armed Forces may be fighting each other in a specific location but the Cyber branches of the opposing militaries are likely to disrupt civilian life on the homefront by sewing disinformation the role of cyber warfare is tightly related to the last Trend the democratization of warfare or rather the democratization of certain weapons and tactics being increasingly cheap and accessable to both state and non-state actors Benson and Greer recognize how off-the-shelf drones for example can be easily and effectively weaponized to

quote them the widespread use of drones cyber tools Robotics and AI the growth of which will always outpace what we the US military have on hand demands the intellectual agility needed to incorporate off-the-shelf technology into our fighting formations and those are perhaps the only certainties about the evolution of warfare history has not reached its end and armed conflict is here to stay the direction military Tech Will evolve into is unforeseeable hopefully it will become more and more intelligent and able to preserve the lives of innocent civilians but for sure it will require constant application of

intellectual agility to grasp how new trends in technology Computing and communication May apply to military use [Music]