"The Drone Revolution That Isn't" Topic

"Today, before a tank explodes, before a trench is overrun, and before an artillery battery is silenced, someone is usually recording.

The defining images of modern war no longer come from embedded journalists or military photographers. They are being delivered by drones. First-person-view drones racing through shattered buildings, quadcopters dropping grenades into open hatches, and loitering munitions destroying radar systems have become the defining image of twenty-first-century battlefield. These videos dominate social media, shape public perceptions, and increasingly influence political debates about defense planning and spending. The conclusion seems to be drones have changed warfare forever. Yet, this conclusion is only half correct.

Drones have indeed become indispensable military tools. They have democratized access to aerial reconnaissance, improved tactical precision, and lowered the cost of surveillance and strike missions. But the public discourse has drifted from acknowledging their importance to declaring them revolutionary. In doing so, it risks repeating a familiar mistake. Throughout history, many generations have believed they had discovered the technology that would fundamentally rewrite the rules of war. Gunpowder, machine guns, tanks, strategic bombers, precision-guided munitions, and cyber capabilities were each hyped as revolutionary innovations that would render previous forms of military power obsolete. None of them did. Instead, they became valuable components of broader military ecosystems…"

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Armand

Social media has fundamentally changed how wars are consumed by observers.

War is just more video content, in effect the new reality tv. It makes me think of Debord's La société du spectacle and other works.

I think that the author's central point is spot on:

War is won through the interaction of the adversaries' military forces with logistics, industrial production, political will, economic resilience, leadership, and alliances. While drones can indeed influence many of these factors, they cannot replace them.

"We have learned to throw rocks. No one will ever be able to defeat us." Attributed to a male relative of Lucy, ca. 2,000,000 BCE.

Gunpowder, machine guns, tanks, strategic bombers, precision-guided munitions, and cyber capabilities were each hyped as revolutionary innovations that would render previous forms of military power obsolete. None of them did.

Really? Haven't seen many phalanxes on the modern battlefield…