GEN Cone says that 25% of Soldiers will be replaced by robots. Do you think this is true?

SSG Robert Burns — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:24:52 -0500

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2014/01/24/general-robert-cone-robots-could-replace-14-us-combat-soldiers-2030

General Robert Cone: Robots Could Replace 1/4 of U.S. Combat Soldiers by 2030

Response by SFC James Baber made Feb 19 at 2014 9:34 AM

SFC James Baber — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:34:22 -0500

I hope not, while a robot is good for things such as EOD and some assistance with intricate surgeries, you take away the human nature and emotion from things that do require the proper mindset, a robot will just shoot without thinking or evaluating a situation that may require it, a human mind can evaluate properly before reacting when necessary.

No we don't need as high as 25%

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Feb 19 at 2014 9:35 AM

SFC Michael Hasbun — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:35:19 -0500

So long as they don't replace conventional ammunition with lasers, I'm ok with it. Keeps people out of harms way. Robots and drones are a great thing for the future.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 19 at 2014 9:36 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:36:42 -0500

Robot is probably not completely accurate.  EOD robots and UAVs are still controlled by humans.  A robot has a certain amount of artificial intelligence but still requires human interaction.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 19 at 2014 9:38 AM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 19 Feb 2014 09:38:04 -0500

Interesting video. I'm not sure about the timeline, but if you think about the advancements we've made in aviation by removing pilots from cockpits in UAV's, then why can't we remove soldiers from the battlefield of the future.

Response by SPC Chris Stiles made Feb 20 at 2014 3:13 PM

SPC Chris Stiles — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 15:13:39 -0500

This isn't exactly news per-se as this mandate was established years ago during the Bush administration. I can't remember if it was SECDEF Rumsfeld or Gates, but they pushed for this 1/4 of the force to be unmanned a while back. The mandate is actually quite good as it removes more and more soldiers from harms way, on top of augmenting existing combat soldiers capabilities and becomes a force multiplier. We currently have thousands of robotic and unmanned systems on the battlefield aiding in the war on terror. These systems have varying missions as well as varying degrees of automation. Most invariably are still tied to a human operator through either full control or partial control, but none currently have the ability to autonomously engage targets without a humans input. I don't think we will see that happening for a very long time, if ever. Robotic and unmanned systems are very advantageous for use in many ways compared to a human counterpart and can be cost effective or disposable depending on the mission it is performing.

Things are just now getting interesting in this arena and we will only continue to field better and improved systems. The US is ahead in this field at the moment, but other countries are scrambling to catch up in both development and acquisition of their own platforms, so these systems are here to stay in military force structures.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 23 at 2014 7:37 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 23 Feb 2014 07:37:08 -0500

SSG Burns, the number of soldiers that get replaced will be equal to the number of new soldiers needed to PMCS and repair those beasts. Maintainers for the win!

Response by Maj Mike Sciales made Jun 2 at 2015 3:57 PM

Maj Mike Sciales — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 15:57:57 -0400

I hope it is true. Every human we can pull out of the direct line of fire - the better. Those mules are a force multipliers as are drones and micro-drones and every other innovation. The soldier becomes a ground battlefield manager. Autonomous air support, including CAS, can be delegated to UAVs or other autonomous support systems. This saves resources like C-SAR and all that vital service entails. In Afghanistan the Marines moved millions of tons of supplies by drone helos with no complaint. Think about ground transportation - we can have autonomous vehicles taking up that task. The Army has released concept video from test sites. Each automated supply vehicle frees up two war fighter slots. New Navy Littoral combat ships go out with a smaller crew with greater capability. All these advances are smart moves and really, with the costs of treatment of wounded going up because they deserve the best, we should invest in funding to purchase tools that will reduce the overall numbers of wounded period.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Sep 28 at 2015 5:05 AM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Mon, 28 Sep 2015 05:05:54 -0400

Romantic, Science Fiction Notion. Maybe someday but not soon enough. Don't have to pay off Dependent with Insurance money if a Robot gets killed. You don't have to worry about POWs, Just turn them off and or destroy them.