Top US general says world is shifting to more robotic military capabilities

Top United States General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, said on a podcast this week that the United States – and other countries across the globe – will make an imminent shift to more robotic capabilities in the coming 15 years.

Milley, appearing on a podcast speaking with the Eurasia Group Foundation on Tuesday, said  the United States in particular has been making a concerted effort to manufacture and employ more unmanned military equipment in what Milley describes as a major shift in “the character of war.” He describes an imminent change in the way many war functions are carried out. Today we are undergoing the most significant and most fundamental change in the character of war,” he said. “And it’s really, this time, being driven by technology.”

While robotic military equipment is still far from ready to take over from human soldiers on the battlefield, Milley says great strides are being made. In 2005, the United States Department of Defense laid out the US’ Unmanned Aircraft program’s timeline for shifting to more robotic air defense equipment aimed at decreasing the number of soldiers put in harm’s way, setting the goal for a shift to more unmanned air technology for 2030. According to Milley, the US is getting close.

Milley said on the podcast that within 15 years from now, “you’re going to see significant portions of armies and navies and air forces that will be robotic.” This includes unmanned warships and other robotic tech that would improve accuracy and effectiveness across the board. The US military already uses advanced drone technology on the battlefield, but Milley advises bigger and better things are on the near horizon for unmanned military tech. “All of those technologies are converging all at the same time, and they’re all coming to fruition here in the next 10 or 15 years,” he said. 

Admiral Michael Gilday told Business Insider the upcoming robotic military tech is a “trusted and integral part of the war fight.”