Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century

The advent of new robotic technologies has created a new generation of warrior—both human and machine – as well as a challenging set of political, economic, legal and ethical questions about how wars are fought and who will fight them. In his new book, Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Penguin Group, 2009), Brookings Senior Fellow Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative, explores the technological revolution taking place on today’s battlefields.

On January 26, Brookings hosted the launch of Wired for War, where Singer discussed the ways in which robotics have and will change the face of war, as well as the larger implications of these revolutionary developments. Following Singer’s presentation, General James Mattis, USMC, joined the discussion of the issues surrounding war, politics and technology in the 21st century. General Mattis is the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.