Robots will be part of ‘vile future of warfare’

VILE METHODS including genetic and viral warfare, alongside robots killing humans, are potentially the “deeply frightening future” of conflict, a senior Royal Navy officer has said.

Captain Jerry Kyd, the commanding officer of HMS

Britain’s biggest and most powerful warship, said that “we are on the cusp of a new revolution in military affairs”. Asked what he thinks warfare will look like over the coming decades, he said it is “going to be quite interesting”.

“I think the coalescence of militarisation, quantum computing, of automated fighting elements whether it is in the air, the surface or subsurface, the ability for computers and machines to make fast decision making loops – I think will fundamentally change the character of warfare,” he said.

“The nature of warfare won’t change – which is to dominate and kill the enemy– I think it is a exciting but deeply frightening future where I think the ethics and morals of war will be tested, and where we will see, I am sure, robots engaged in killing other human beings.”

Speaking as the aircraft carrier prepared to sail into New York, he said there will be an increase in other forms of warfare – not just biological and chemical, but also genetic. He added: “I think we will see all sorts of vile methods – viral warfare, and also attacks fundamentally against civilian populations through bringing down infrastructure, power grids, cyber warfare – a full spectrum of activity against the population which will be deeply frightening.”

He said deterrence is key – a role the carrier and the F-35B Lightning jets help fulfil.