Wars Without Soldiers and Casualties or Victories in Hearts and Minds?

Abstract

The text deals with the psychological and ethical aspects of using autonomous weapons. It focuses on controversies associated with the contemporary use of robotic weapons, respectively unmanned weapon systems and the possible use of autonomous weapons in future armed conflicts led by state and non-state actors. These means can achieve significant success at the tactical level while minimizing their own human loss or even the complete absence of their own human element at the point of projection of military force. However, their use may, on the other hand, be in direct contradiction with the long-term strategic objectives of their user and partially delegitimize his intentions. War, as a complex phenomenon, is not limited to direct combat activity, and in relation to a number of non-military factors, the use of autonomous weapons can be problematic from both ethical and psychological points of view. Thus, the military and technological superiority of one party may be partially offset in some conflicts by the ideological superiority of the weaker adversary. The text tries to characterize the main controversies that the deployment of autonomous weapon systems can represent in this respect.