Abstract
The nature of defence and the capabilities required to produce it are changing rapidly due to the evolution and proliferation of uncrewed and autonomous ‘drone’ systems. Developments in weapon technologies and military applications of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, when combined with uncrewed combat vehicles, loitering munitions and swarming behaviour, result in a step change in lethality. Therefore, the Defence Forces must adapt to the threat posed by potential state and non-state adversaries armed with an increasing diversity and number of uncrewed vehicles across the air, land and sea domains. Simultaneously, uncrewed vehicles represent a significant force multiplier for the Defence Forces. This paper explores the implications of the Drone Age for the Defence Forces. It sketches the emerging defence landscape in which technological advances, increases in efficiency and availability, and the growing use of uncrewed and autonomous systems are driving a transformation in defence. Subsequently, it considers the challenges, opportunities and dilemmas this poses for the Defence Forces, given their limited uncrewed vehicle capabilities at present. The paper concludes with some implications for decision makers and suggestions for practical steps to be taken.
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Notes
- 1.
Remote control involves a human operator controlling the UV on a continuous or near-continuous basis guided by direct observation; the UV takes no initiative. Teleoperation involves a remote human operator guided by feedback from sensors onboard the UV. A semi-autonomous mode involves inputs from a human operator plus onboard sensors and computer processing; the UV is capable of autonomous operation in between human interactions. A fully autonomous mode is when the UV determines its own course of movement and actions, and accomplishes its assigned mission without human intervention while adapting to operational and environmental conditions. Hui-Min Huang, ed., Autonomy Levels for Unmanned Systems (ALFUS) Framework, Volume I: Terminology, Version 2.0 (Gaithersburg, MD: National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2008), 22–23.
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A term that has been in increasingly popular use over the last decade. It features in the title of a recent book: Michael J. Boyle, The Drone Age: How Drone Technology Will Change War and Peace (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).
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A challenge that also requires the integration of legacy air defence systems, which are intended to detect, identify and track fast-moving aircraft, with new and experimental C-UAS technology for dealing with small slow-moving UAVs. Armenian air defence systems were designed to counter aircraft, not UAVs.
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Scollick, A. (2023). The Irish Defence Forces in the Drone Age. In: Carroll, J., O'Neill, M.G., Williams, M. (eds) The EU, Irish Defence Forces and Contemporary Security. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07812-5_15
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