US “Robot Warriors” to Fight against Iraqi Resistance

US robot warriors to head for Iraq in spring

 Eighteen robot warriors equipped with cameras and operated by remote control are scheduled for deployment in Iraq this spring, where they are expected to by used by the US military to help fight insurgents, the US Army reported late last week.

 The 1-meter high robots are based on a previously designed robot warrior, the Talon, used to disarm bombs. According to the US Army, the robot soldier, known as the SWORD (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems ), will be fitted with automatic rifles and will be capable of tracking enemies swiftly.

SWORDS will be operated by human soldiers, who will order the robot to fire by remote control. According to the BBC, the robot warrior has four cameras with night-vision and zoom capabilities, can travel over rocks and barbed wire, and can run on batteries for up to four hours. The remote control device has two joysticks and a video screen.

The robot soldiers cost US$200’000 each. The SWORD will be the first robot soldier used in actual combat situations.

Their deployment is expected in March or April, according to The Associated Press. Meanwhile, security fears continue ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary elections this weekend.

While US Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte on Sunday promised “elaborate security” for voters, insurgents have threatened attacks on those attempting to cast ballots on 30 January. And securing the more than 5’000 polling stations across the country will be difficult. US military commanders have already said that four of the country’s 18 provinces are not safe for voters. And those provinces house one-quarter of Iraq’s population. On Monday, a suicide car bombing near the offices of Iraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi wounded at least 10 people.

The primary purpose of the Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot/SWORDS would seem to be to significantly mitigate the risk of serious injury and/or death to our infantry combat forces on the ground, primarily in urban warfare environments. It’s no secret that the U.S. Army is currently embroiled in a difficult public relations (PR) war against the U.S. media. Every soldier killed in combat OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) creates more difficulty for the Bush Administration and U.S. Armed Forces. Robots can’t be killed. So, why use human warfighters, when you can conduct reconaissance operations and kill the enemy with remote-controlled, (unmanned) mobile robotic weapons platforms/systems? Basically, why put a human in harm’s way, when you can put a robot on it?

According to www.DefenseReview.com

The logic and impetus behind the development of the Armed/Weaponized Talon Robot/Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection System (SWORDS) infantry combat/urban warfare mobile robotic reconnaissance/weapons platform is thus the same as that behind the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) /Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle’s (UCAV’s) . Since our infantry is still embroiled in heavy urban warfare and counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, and the media shows no signs of downplaying combat casualties, the need for Armed/Weaponized Talon Robots/Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Detection Systems (SWORDS) is currently greater than ever. The U.S. Army’s Stryker Brigade is in luck, because they’re going to receive 18 of them in Iraq, very soon.

http://www.defensereview.com/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=657


Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page

Become a Member of Global Research


Articles by: Global Research

Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Centre of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post Global Research articles on community internet sites as long the source and copyright are acknowledged together with a hyperlink to the original Global Research article. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: [email protected]

www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.

For media inquiries: [email protected]