Articles & Multimedia
Showing 41-60 of 66 Publications
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Keeping Killer Robots on a Tight Leash
This week, delegates to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons will discuss autonomous weapon systems, or what activists call “killer robots.” Colorful ...
By Michael Horowitz & Paul Scharre
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Counter-Swarm: A Guide to Defeating Robotic Swarms
Swarming with a large number of low-cost autonomous systems can be useful for a wide range of applications in warfare, and the U.S. military should move to harness the advanta...
By Paul Scharre
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Commanding the Swarm
Today’s uninhabited vehicles are largely tele-operated, with a person piloting or driving the vehicle remotely, but tomorrow’s won’t be. They will incorporate increasing auton...
By Paul Scharre
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Commentary: The Imperative of Long-Range Strike
Later this spring, the Department of Defense will unveil its decision for the new long-range strike bomber. The program, designed to supplement aging bomber inventories and re...
By Kelley Sayler & Paul Scharre
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The Human Element in Robotic Warfare
The first rule of unmanned aircraft is, don’t call them unmanned aircraft. And whatever you do, don’t call them drones. The U.S. Air Force prefers the term “remotely pil...
By Paul Scharre
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Unleash the Swarm: The Future of Warfare
Could swarms of low-cost expendable systems change how militaries fight? Last November, Under Secretary of Defense Frank Kendall asked the Defense Science Board to examine a r...
By Paul Scharre
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Robots at War and the Quality of Quantity
The U.S. Department of Defense has launched the search for a “third offset strategy,” an approach to sustain U.S. military technological superiority against potential adversar...
By Paul Scharre
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Release the drones
This week, the Obama administration announced a new policy loosening export restrictions for military and commercial drones. This policy shift represents a responsible first s...
By Kelley Sayler, Paul Scharre & Van Jackson
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Ash Carter: Invest in the 3rd Offset Strategy
Ashton Carter, the newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of Defense, will need to articulate his vision of how he intends to lead the Pentagon over the next two years. He would do ...
By Paul Scharre, Shawn Brimley & Jerry Hendrix
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Between a Roomba and a Terminator: What is Autonomy?
Department of Defense leaders have stated that robotics and autonomous systems will be a key part of a new “offset strategy” to sustain American military d...
By Paul Scharre
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What to Look For in the DoD Budget
Next week, the Department of Defense (DoD) will release its annual budget, which is where wonky strategy-speak gets translated into real hard dollars. Even though DoD just com...
By Paul Scharre
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Commentary: Swarming the Battlefield
The US Department of Defense has launched a long-range research and development planning effort, and DoD leaders have stated that robotics and autonomous systems will be a cri...
By Paul Scharre
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Paul Scharre and Michael Horowitz on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems
hen the robots start thinking for themselves in the movies or on TV, it’s never a good sign for the humans. Whether the setting is Earth or Caprica, letting robots think and g...
By Michael Horowitz & Paul Scharre
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America's Secret Weapon for Battlefield Dominance: Build the Swarm
The U.S. military is at a crisis point. We are staring down the barrel of a future where U.S. military technological superiority may no longer be a given wherethe military str...
By Paul Scharre
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To Save Money, Go Unmanned
U.S. Defense Department leaders have called for a renewed effort to sustain America’s military technological dominance, but to do so they will have to fight an uphill battle a...
By Daniel Burg & Paul Scharre
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The Coming Swarm: Robotics on the Battlefield
The unfolding robotics revolution is transforming a range of industries, from manufacturing to transportation, warehouse management, household appliances, toys, elder care and...
By Paul Scharre
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To Save the Navy’s Next-Gen Drone, Kill It First
The Defense Department was set to release this summer the final request for proposal for the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike, or UCLASS, aircraft, b...
By Paul Scharre & Shawn Brimley
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Do Drones Have A Future?
Thirteen years ago today the Predator drone saw its first armed reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan. Since then, the U.S. military drone fleet has grown by leaps and bounds....
By Paul Scharre
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Is the U.S. Air Force Set for a "Crash Landing"?
In its recently-released thirty-year strategy document, the Air Force lays out a clear vision for its future. Unlike many government strategy documents, America’s Air Force: A...
By Paul Scharre
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To Defeat ISIL, Empower Sunni Iraqis and Syrians
Thirteen years after 9/11, Islamic militants have seized a state-sized territory in the heart of the Middle East, and the United States is struggling to determine how to respo...
By Paul Scharre