The Prototype Warfare Project
This IRW project develops a fuller understanding of how humans shape technologies, and how technologies shape our actions in warfare.
Here you will find our own research output and a variety of other thematically relevant publications, blogs, events and podcasts we have been inspired by in our investigations into the Intimacies of Remote Warfare.
The history of warfare has been defined by technological innovation. Everything from gunpowder to the atomic bomb has radically altered the way wars are fought and peace is achieved. Remote warfare is no exception. Conducting warfare from a distance is made possible by a complex network of technologies including unmanned vehicles, satellite communications and precision-guided munitions. By transforming what is possible on and off the battlefield, the ascendency of these technologies raises fresh questions about the role of humans in warfare as well as how the technologies themselves are developed and proliferate.
Podcast: Surveillance and Remote Warfare
IRW's project leader Lauren Gould relays why she thinks the concept of surveillance is key to understanding the changing nature of warfare in the 21st century.
Why US troops leaving Afghanistan does not mark the end of war
Researchers Aoife Keogh (MA) and Dr. Lauren Gould reflect on the recent developments in Afghanistan.
The Intimacies of Soldier-Robot Relations
Guest authors dr. Marijn Hoijtink and Marlene Tröstl reflect on the sharp contrast between human empathy for military robots and the dehumanization of local publics that underpins remote warfare.
How are novel military technologies changing modern conflicts?
Don't miss IRW Director Dr Lauren Gould speaking about how novel military technologies are changing modern conflict at NGO PAX's online symposium.
More drones, more war
The notion that deploying drones will enable militaries to conduct war with greater precision and less civilian harm is neither new, nor accurate argues the IRW team in an op-ed for the Dutch newspaper the NRC.
Military & Technology: In Their Own Words
'The conversation is not about the morality of going to war, but rather the technology of winning' claims former US Marine Anthony Swofford in article for MIT Technology Review.
Crowded Skies: Drones in Nagorno-Karabakh
Whilst a deluge of video clips showing drone-captured footage of air and missile strikes on seemingly defenceless ground vehicles led some to proclaim the 'death of the tank', this may have been an overestimation of the real impact drones had in the conflict.
Drone Warfare: Today, Tomorrow, Forever?
This webinar addresses the trends in global drone development and use, and discusses where campaigners should be focusing their efforts in the coming years.
The latest arms race is not about bombs, but about algorithms
In this De Correspondent article and accompanying podcast, Lennart Hofman asks if the military investments in AI is justified, or if the hype around AI is simply that – hype.