Military Technology

The era of autonomous weapons has arrived. Today around the globe, at least thirty nations have weapons that can search for and destroy enemy targets all on their own. Paul Scharre, a leading expert in next-generation warfare, describes these and other high tech weapons systems--from Israel's Harpy drone to the American submarine-hunting robot ship Sea Hunter--and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding their use. "A smart primer to what's to come in warfare" (Bruce Schneier), Army of None engages military history, global policy, and cutting-edge science to explore the implications of giving weapons the freedom to make life and death decisions. A former soldier himself, Scharre argues that we must embrace technology where it can make war more precise and humane.

Engineering Victory brings a fresh approach to the question of why the North prevailed in the Civil War. Historian Thomas F. Army, Jr., identifies strength in engineering?not superior military strategy or industrial advantage?as the critical determining factor in the war's outcome. Army finds that Union soldiers were able to apply scientific ingenuity and innovation to complex problems in a way that Confederate soldiers simply could not match. Skilled Free State engineers who were trained during the antebellum period benefited from basic educational reforms, the spread of informal educational practices, and a culture that encouraged learning and innovation.

Founded in 1958 in response to the launch of Sputnik, DARPA has been responsible for countless inventions and technologies that have evolved from the agency's mission- forward-thinking solutions to the Pentagon's challenges.

Van Creveld considers man's use of technology over the past 4,000 years and its impact on military organization, weaponry, logistics, intelligence, communications, transportation, and command.

Describes the application of research to the evolution of weapons. It shows how natural, engineering, information and environmental sciences are exploited how even social science is applied to recruitment, battlefield and logistical management, and careful preparation of terroristic acts. Also available as an electronic version.