Printed: 2012-02-10

Instititute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies






IEET Link: http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/2942

Futurist thinking at the Pentagon

George Dvorsky


Sentient Developments


http://www.sentientdevelopments.com/2009/03/futurist-thinking-at-pentagon.html

March 18, 2009

Wondering how the U.S. military is planning for the future? A list of recent research articles by an internal Pentagon think tank shows where their collective head is at these days:

  • Chinese and Russian Asymmetrical Strategies for Space Dominance (2010 - 2030)
  • Changing Images Of Human Nature
  • The Future Of Undersea Warfare
  • Contradictions and Continuities: The Changing Moral Education Landscape
  • The End of Religiously Motivated Warfare: Lessons From The Puritans And Beyond
  • Information As Advertisement And Advertisement As Information
  • Role Of High Power Microwave Weapons In Future Intercontinental Conventional War
  • Europe 2025: Mounting Security Challenges Amidst Declining Competitiveness
  • Biometaphor For The Body Politic
  • The Changing Images Of Human Nature
  • Minorities in Turkish-Iranian Relations
  • Preserving American Primacy
  • Fighting A Nuclear-Armed Regional Opponent: Is Victory Possible?
  • After Next Nuclear Use

The fourth item on the list about the changing moral education landscape is extremely interesting and telling. This is the kind of research that can help the military 1) get in the head of its opponents, 2) craft effective propaganda and disinformation campaigns and 3) engage in social/memetic engineering endeavors.

I would like to know the details of the Biometaphor and Changing Images Of Human Nature articles and what the U.S. military is thinking here.

As for the nuclear-themed articles, as repugnant as those topics are I suppose it’s necessary to think about these scenarios and plan accordingly.

Via WIRED’s Danger Room.


George Dvorsky serves as Chair of the IEET Board of Directors and also heads our
Rights of Non-Human Persons program. George produces Sentient Developments blog and podcast.

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