ThinkTankWeekly

The Autonomous Battlefield

Foreign Affairs | 2026-03-12 | defense

Topics: Middle East, Ukraine

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English Summary

Autonomous warfare is emerging not through visible robotic armies, but through the quiet, rapid deployment of machine-executed missions, exemplified by current conflicts in eastern Ukraine and the Middle East. The core shift involves systems operating at speeds unmatched by human operators, increasingly coordinating as networked, platoon-sized units without continuous human intervention. This trend necessitates a fundamental doctrinal pivot, as military forces must adapt to command structures that assume machine-to-machine coordination. Failure to rapidly integrate these autonomous capabilities risks strategic disadvantage for any force reliant on traditional, human-centric command and control.

中文摘要

自主戰鬥的興起並非體現在可見的機器人軍隊,而是透過機動、快速部署的機器執行任務。東烏克蘭和中東的當前衝突便是例證。核心轉變在於系統的運作速度已超越人類操作員的能力,它們正日益協調成網路化的、如同排隊單位的單元,且無需持續的人為干預。此趨勢要求軍事力量進行根本的教義轉變,必須適應假設機器間協調的指揮結構。若未能迅速整合這些自主能力,任何依賴傳統、以人為中心的指揮與控制系統的武力,都將面臨戰略劣勢。

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