Part 1 – Understanding human augmentation

Section 3 – Technology and future warfare

Advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomy mean that human processing

power, speed of action and endurance are being rapidly outpaced by machines.

Technology is already chipping away at people’s role in war and many militaries have

come to rely on it. It remains to be seen whether the Information Age will really change

the nature of war, but the role of people is being challenged in three key areas: data,

complexity and speed.

a. Technology has exponentially increased the amount of data in the world, and

the amount available to commanders. People lack the bandwidth to effectively

process large amounts of data, which thickens the ‘fog of war’ and increases the risk

of information overload. Thus, data has to be secure, tamper-free and trustworthy,

otherwise not only is it useless, it could be very dangerous if its veracity has not been

checked.

b. The emergence of new domains and the deepening interconnectedness

between them has increased the complexity of war. The information environment

Whilst it is envisaged that humans will continue to be central to the

decision-making process, conflicts fought increasingly by robots or

autonomous systems could change the very nature of warfare.

Global Strategic Trends – The Future Starts Today

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Conceptualising the human as a platform

Physical performance is the capability to affect the physical environment and move

within it. Strength, dexterity, speed and endurance are key components and there is

often a trade-off between them.

Psychological performance comprises

cognition, emotion and motivation. Cognition

is the mental action or process of acquiring

knowledge and understanding through

thought, experience and the senses. It

includes processes such as attention, the

formation of knowledge, long-term and

working memory, reasoning, problem solving

and decision-making. Emotion describes the

subjective human experience and is closely

linked with motivation, which is the force that

energises, activates and directs behaviour.

Social performance is the ability to perceive oneself as part of a group and the

readiness to act as part of the team. It is founded on self-awareness and the ability

to understand the behaviour of others. It is tightly linked to communication skills,

collaboration and trust. The core tenet of social performance is group cohesion.

Physical

Psychological Social