Article Archive
Browse all articles by date.
2026
January
- Target-Locked Autonomy and the Rostov Blaze: When AI-Enabled Hunter Drones Rewrite the Ethics of War
- Kryvyi Rih Under Fire: How a Russian Drone Barrage Exposed the Limits of AI Counter-Swarm Defenses During Winter Blackouts
- Replicator 2 Kicks Off: First Buys and the Quiet Migration of Swarm Robotics into Homeland Defense
- Pentagon Embraces Musk's Grok AI for Warfare: Boost to Autonomy or Accountability Crisis?
- Pentagon Deploys AI-Powered DroneHunter Systems: Ethical Implications for Autonomous Counter-UAS Warfare
- Aeva's Omni 360-Degree AI LiDAR Debut: A Practical Look at What It Means for Military Autonomy
- Final 2025 Review: Machines Central
- Humanity at the Crossroads: Fresh Warnings on the Human-Robot Future
- The Rise of the Chase Drone: Ukraine’s Experiment with AI Interceptors
- New Year: The Replicator Legacy
2025
December
- Drone Warfare Recap: Key Trends
- 2025 Year-End: AI Drones Born
- Christmas: Peace on Robotic Earth?
- A Holiday Meditation on Ethical AI in Conflict
- Speculative: The IDF's 2026 AI and Robotics Plan — What Comes Next
- Costs: The 2025 Drone-Defense Case
- Psychological Trust in AI Swarms: Calibration, Transparency, and the Moral Cost of Reliance
- On Belfer’s Military AI Recommendations: Ethical Strengths, Practical Gaps, and the Need for Political Limits
- Ukraine: The Russian Drone Learning Curve — Quantity, Tweaks, and the Limits of Attrition
- Replicator's Final 2025 Push: A Hands-On Reality Check
November
- Human Oversight and the Rise of Opinio Juris on AI: A Cautious Assessment
- Showrooming Autonomy: The Rise of Automated Design Exhibitions at Sea
- Ground Robots for Brigade Support: Prototypes, Promises, and the Doctrine Gap
- Where the Dollars Meet the Algorithms: The Economics of AI Defense Investment
- Replicator Fallen Short: A Drone-Focus Critique
- Veterans Day and the Human Element: A Necessary Refrain in an Age of Machines
- Ethics in Public: When Tech Companies Stage War Demos
- Ukraine Trends: Is Russia Winning the Drone War?
October
- Prototype: What the Army’s RCV Evaluations Actually Show (RCV‑Light Program, Observations through Oct 30, 2025)
- Psychological Training Updates for Human‒Machine Teams: Trust, Resilience, and the Curriculum We Need
- Speculative Futures: How AI Could Recast Militarized Bargaining
- Geneva and the Rolling Text: Reflections on the GGE LAWS 9th Meeting
- The Hidden Tax of Waiting: The Costs of Delayed Fielding
- Replicator: When the 'Swarm' Promise Meets the Friction of Reality
- Human-Robot: Reflections from the IEAI Ethical Forum on Teaming, Responsibility, and Rights
- Kherson Strike Claims: Disentangling Evidence, Attribution, and Ethics
September
- Q3 Close: Robotics Integration Accelerates
- DARPA Timeline: ACE and the Evolution of Autonomous Maneuvers
- Ethics Spark: How the U.S. AWS Debate Pivoted from Principle to Panic
- Why the 2025 Surge in Military Robots Is Real — and Why the Bill Will Be Bigger Than the Hype
- Maritime Drones: Houthi Lessons Learned
- When Machines Become Political Symbols: The Psychology of Public Backlash Against Autonomous Weapons
- Ukraine FPV Evolution: How First‑Person View Drones Reshaped Frontline Tactics
- RCV Recompete Signals a Necessary Reordering of Priorities — But Not a Panacea
- Labor Day: The Robotic Workforce in Military Service
August
- Ethics: The Autonomous Weapons Era Kicks Off
- CRS Replicator Update: Are Fielding Shortfalls Real, and Why They Matter
- Code, Command, Conflict: A Speculative Future of Warfare
- Costs of Piloting Frontier AI in the DoD: Ceilings, Compute, and the Unpriced Risks
- Human Factors and Safety in Military AI: Preserving Judgment in an Age of Automation
- When the Sky Becomes a Weapon: Large Strikes and the Kindergarten in Bucha
- Replicator at the Crossroads: Assessing DoD's Innovation Sprint
- What the Army's Upcoming Ground-Drone Prototype RFI Really Means for Industry
July
- Taylor Wessing on AI Regulation in Defence: Law as Benchmark, Not Bulwark
- When Machines Claim to Know: Epistemic Authority, Automation Bias, and the Psychology of Robotic Claims in Warfare
- Prototype Tests: What to Expect from RCV Full-Systems in 2026
- Is There an Oppenheimer Moment for AI War?
- On the SAE Military RAS Annual: Rituals, Realities, and the Responsibility of Design
- Where the Money Goes: Evaluating the DIB Trusted AI Roadmap and Its Investment Signals
- Accountability: Fragile Autonomous Progress
- Historic Oil Blows: How Ukrainian Drones Rewrote Energy as a Battlefield
- Human-Robot Teams: Future Doctrina
- Replicator Report to Congress: Background
June
- Speculation and Consequences: What Tens of Thousands of Unmanned Systems Would Mean for War and Society
- Making the Machines That Make Machines: Reflections from the Advanced Manufacturing for Defense Summit
- The Israeli Maritime Turn: IDF Robotics Focus and the Limits of Autonomous Sea Power
- Ethics Regulation and Defense Tech Frameworks: From Principles to Practice
- Costs: Low-Cost FPV Interceptors — What You Actually Pay For
- Psychological Studies and AI in Proxy Wars: Lessons from Remote Violence and Cognitive Operations
- Session Two Comes Into View: What to Expect at the GGE on LAWS
- Ukraine Key Trends: Drone Warfare 2025
May
- Replicator 2.0: Acquisition Process Lessons
- Memorial Day: Fallen Robots and Heroes
- Prototype: BAE Systems' Herne XLAUV — a technology demonstrator that asks more questions than it answers
- Human Oversight: Workshop on Military AI Roles
- Economic Projections: Robots to $26 Billion by 2029 — A Cautious Appraisal
- Human Dignity and NATO’s AI: A Necessary, Underarticulated Commitment
- Army of Drones: How Crowdfunding Rewired Ukraine’s Air War and What It Means for the Ethics of Force
- CyCon 2025: The Next Step in Autonomy
April
- Speculative Forecast: Five AI Warfare Shifts Likely to Reshape 2026
- Ground Robots: More Soldiers for Control
- Replicator 'Transition' Claims: Delivered Progress or Premature Hype?
- CSP11 on the Horizon: What the Arms Trade Treaty Conference Means for Autonomous Systems
- Between Conscience and Code: The Psychological Stakes of Ethical AI in the Military
- Counting the True Cost of Frontier AI Pilots in the DoD
- Ethics and the Backlash Against Military AI: Why the Conversation Has Turned Acidic
- Rostov Drone Kills: What a Cross‑Border Strike Reveals About the Automation of War
- April Fools: The Myth of a Fully Autonomous US Army
March
- RCV Testing: Fragile Progress Exposed
- Speculative Trajectories: Robot versus Human Casualty Ratios on Future Battlefields
- The Dual-Use Dividend and Its Discontents: Economics of AI in Defense
- Maritime Autonomy and the Rising Web of Space Defense
- Human-Robot Dynamics: TUM Panel Insights
- Replicator Shortfalls: Where Are the Swarms?
- Ethics and Governance at the Edge: Early Reflections on UNIDIR’s New Forum
- Ukraine Trends: How FPV Interceptors Scaled the Air War
February
- Prototype Advances: Where the Army's Next-Gen RCVs Actually Stand
- Informal UNGA Consultations on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems: A Moment to Choose a Path
- On the Frontline of Faith: Trust and the Ukrainian 'AI Hunters'
- Costs: Drone Defense Proven in 2025 (But Not Without Caveats)
- Accountability in Russian Drone Responses: Evidence, Law, and the Politics of Enforcement
- Preparing to Negotiate the Rolling Text: Practical and Philosophical Notes for CCW GGE LAWS (March 2025)
- Ground Drones at the Brigade Level: Promise, Paradox, and Practical Pathways
- Reading the Replicator CRS Report: Framing the Questions Congress Must Ask
January
- Speculative: Killer AI Drones Born in Ukraine
- Human Factors: Operator Burnout in Proxy Wars
- Economic Forecasts: The Military Robots Market Boom — Growth, Drivers, and Fragilities
- Ethics Under Fire: How the Pentagon's AI Principles Are Being Tested
- Ukraine Drone Trends: The Energy Front and the Strategic Logic of Hitting Oil
- Maritime Robots and the IDF’s AI Trajectory: Promise, Practice, and Prudence
- Psychological Impacts: AI Command Erosion
- RCV Prototypes: Production Decisions the Army Faces in 2025
- New Year Reality Check: Replicator Swarms and the Gap Between Hype and Hardware
2024
December
- 2024 Review: Drone Wars Escalate
- Costs of Autonomy: The Hidden Sustainment Fees Nobody Budgets For
- Holiday Reflections: Machines and Morality
- When the Council Confronts the Machine: Reflections on the Security Council Debate on AI in Conflict
- Speculative: Will 2026 See a Robot Treaty?
- Ukraine Winter Drones: How AI Keeps Persistence in the Cold
- Ethics Forum: Global AI Security Conference
- Human-Robot Teams and NATO’s Doctrinal Turn: From Principles to Practice
- Replicator Year-End: Where the Swarms Stand
November
- Prototype Tests and Public Demonstrations: What DARPA’s 2024 Autonomy Demos Really Tested
- Thanksgiving: Grateful for Risk-Reduction Bots?
- Economic Shifts: Defense Stocks in Robotics
- International Law and the Problem of Epistemic Authority over AI
- Ground Robot Brigade Prototypes Sought
- Psychological Resilience and AI Denial in Combat: Calibrating Skepticism Without Sacrificing Performance
- Ukraine's Largest Drone Raid: A Hands-On Analysis
- Replicator 2.0 Announced: The Next Phase in Attritable Warfare
October
- Halloween: Ghosts in the Machine Warfare
- RCV Program: More Control Vehicles Required
- Ethics Backlash: When Public Values Collide with Military AI Practice
- After Pasadena: What IDGA's Advanced Manufacturing for Defense Revealed About Scale, Standards, and Strategy
- Cost Models for Attritable Systems: Reconciling Mass, Risk, and Life‑Cycle Accounting
- Speculative: Forecasting the 2025 Swarm Wars
- Maritime Autonomy: The U.S. Quietly Advances While Debates Rage
- Human Oversight Mandates in DoD AI: Principles, Practice, and the Persistent Implementation Gap
- Ukraine Autumn Offensive: How Drones Came to Dominate the Battlefield
- Q4 Kickoff: Is an RCV Recompete the Army's Best Course?
September
- Economic Pressures and the Budget for an Autonomy Surge
- Replicator Transition: Fielding Questions Linger
- Robot Companions in Foxholes: What Psychological Studies Tell Us About Bonding, Resilience, and Risk
- Prototype Deliveries: What the Next-Gen Light RCVs Really Mean
- Ethics and Civilian Risk in Autonomous Strikes: A Human-Centred Imperative
- Drone Interceptors: How Ukraine Turned FPV Kamikazes into an Air‑defense Tool in 2024
- RCV Testing Expansions: Why the Army Will Need More Troops, Not Fewer
- Labor Day: Robots Taking Soldier Jobs?
August
- Speculative: AI Treaties or Arms Race?
- Walking the Edge of Consensus: Progress and Stagnation at the CCW GGE on LAWS
- Human Factors in Multi-Robot Control: The Cognitive Price of Scale and How to Pay It
- Drone Strikes on Oil: How Targeting Fuel Is Reshaping Strategy in the Russo‑Ukrainian War
- Economics: Robotic Warfare's ROI — Calculating Value Beyond the Price Tag
- Maritime Drones and the Taiwan Strait: What Simulations Are Telling Us
- Ethical Debates at the UN Security Council: Human Judgment, Accountability, and the Machine
- RCV Soldier Maneuver Trials: A Hands-On Reality Check
- Replicator Mid-Year Update: Thousands Nearing?
July
- Psychological Preparation for Machine-Dominated Wars: Trust, Moral Burden, and the New Curriculum of Resilience
- Cost Reductions via Commercial Off‑the‑Shelf Robots: Cheap Units, Real Tradeoffs
- Ukraine Advances: Robotic Spearheads
- Accountability Protocols for AI Errors: From Logs to Moral Responsibility
- Speculative Future: Fully Autonomous Naval Battles
- Prototype Evaluations: Army Selects Winners?
- Limits of Autonomy: Jamming and the Electronic Warfare Reality
- Fireworks and FPV: Drone Spectacles in War
- Replicator Progress: Field Tests Underway?
June
- Simulating the Hybrid: Designing Rigorous Human-Robot Tactics Experiments
- Conferences Recap: Military Robotics Summits — Spring 2024 Takeaways
- Economic Boom: Drone Manufacturing Hubs
- The Ethics of Swarm Intelligence in Combat: Responsibility, Predictability, and the Limits of Delegation
- Ukraine Summer Drones: When Hunter-Killers Move From Rumor to Reality
- On Loss and Lament: The Psychology of Grieving Robotic Assets
- RCV Recompete Rumors: What Industry Chatter Actually Means for the Army
- AI Governance Forums and the Military Question: From Declarations to Duty
May
- Maritime Robots and the New Calculus of ASW Autonomy
- Memorial Day: Honoring the Humans Behind the Machines
- Cost Analysis: Replicator vs. Legacy Systems — a Practical Accounting
- Speculative: Robot Economies of War
- Prototype Spotlights: GDLS TRX and What Its RCV Entry Actually Brings to the Fight
- Ukraine Drone Exports: Proliferating Tech and the Moral Limits of Diffusion
- Ethical Risks in Pacific Theater Robot Deployments
- Human Trust Calibration in Autonomous Teams: Principles, Evidence, and Practical Imperatives
- Brigade-Level Ground Drones and the Army’s RFI: A Measured Reckoning
April
- Month-End: Are Robots Really Reducing Casualties?
- Treaties Update: The GGE on LAWS Convenes — An Interim Reckoning
- Reading the Room: What to Expect from CyCon Autonomy Sessions
- Ground Robot Survivability Tests Exposed
- Replicator Phase 2 Teasers: Beyond Drones
- Psychological Toll: Operators' Drone Fatigue
- Economic Models for Robotic Sustainment: From Life‑Cycle Burdens to Data‑Driven Remedies
- Ukraine FPV Swarms: Why Countermeasures Are Struggling
- April Fools? No, Real AI Hallucinations in Targeting
March
- RCV Program Milestones: Where the Prototype Deliveries Stand
- Ethics Debate: Pre-Programmed versus Adaptive Kills — A Moral and Practical Inventory
- Maritime Autonomy and the Houthi Drone Threat: Technical Realities and Strategic Implications
- Speculation: The Psychology of Artificial Minds in Future Battlefields
- One Year On: When Drones Rewrote the Frontlines in Ukraine
- Cost Projections: What $1 Billion Buys When You Try to Scale Replicator to Thousands
- Human-Robot Interfaces: Virtual Reality for Combat Control — Telepresence, Trust, and the Limits of Immersion
- Global Robotics Exhibitions: Key Takeaways
February
- Leap Year Leap: Advances in Quadruped Robots
- Ukraine Spring Thaw: Robotic Resupply Challenges
- Ethical Frameworks Evolve with Replicator
- Army RCV Testing and the Soldier Feedback Loop: Between Experiments and Doctrine
- Drone Warfare Economics: Cheap Kills, High Stakes
- Valentine's: A Love–Hate Relationship with Lethal Machines
- International Treaties and the Stalled Drive to Ban LAWS: Why Consensus Politics Is Outpacing Conscience
- Psychological Training for AI Teammates: Teaching Machines to Share Minds and Earn Trust
- Replicator 2024 Updates: Have Swarm Prototypes Been Fielded?
January
- Speculative: Humanless Battlefields by Decade's End
- Prototype Reviews: McQ (WOLF-X) and Textron (RIPSAW M3) RCVs
- Ethics and Accountability When AI Makes Fatal Errors
- Ukraine Deep Strikes: Where Long-Range Autonomy Hits the Ceiling
- Economic Impacts: Job Shifts from Robotic Deployment
- Maritime Drones and the Red Sea Crucible: What Autonomy Reveals About Modern Naval Conflict
- Human Factors in Prolonged Drone Operations: Attention, Moral Burden, and the Limits of Automation
- Ground Robots: What Mobility Testing Will Really Tell Us About RCVs
- New Year Predictions: Replicator Deliveries Accelerate
2023
December
- 2023 Wrap-Up: Robotics Redefining Risk Reduction
- Post-Christmas: Robotic Gifts for the Modern Warrior?
- Holiday Speculative: When Santa’s Sleigh Looks Like a Drone Swarm
- Ethical Debates Heat Up at CCW Meetings
- Ukraine Drone Innovations: When Machine Vision Meets the Last Mile
- Psychology of Loss: When Robots \"Die\" in Combat
- Pearl Harbor Reflection: Autonomy in Naval Defense
- Replicator Momentum: How FY2024 Budget Lines Are Accelerating Autonomous Weapons and the Ethical Gap
November
- Year-End Review: Top Robotic Warfare Developments of 2023
- Black Friday Deals? No, But the Robotic Arms Race Is Heating Up
- Why Advanced Autonomy Projects Run Hot: A Hands-On Look at Cost Overruns
- Between Principle and Protocol: Will We Have AI Ethics Treaties by 2030?
- Prototype Spotlights: Oshkosh Defense RCV
- Winter Logistics in Ukraine: Why Robots Matter — and What Still Needs Fixing
- Ethical Tensions in Replicator's Drone Flood
- Human-Robot Trust: What DoD Simulations Are Actually Teaching Us
- RCV Program Updates: Prototypes in Testing
October
- Halloween Special: Nightmares of Uncontrolled AI Swarms
- Maritime Autonomy Trials in the Pacific: IBP 23.2 and the Unmanned Surface Vessel Deployment
- Economic Analysis: How Cheap Drones Lower the Barriers to Entry for Modern Conflict
- International Law and the Prospect of Banning Fully Autonomous Weapons: Legal Logic and Political Reality
- Autumn 2023: Ukraine’s Drones, Precision Strikes, and the Electronic‑Warfare Chessboard
- Ground Robot Tests: Measuring Survivability in High-Threat Zones
- Psychological Profiles for Robot Teammates: Design, Measurement, and Moral Limits
- Replicator Phase 1 Goals: Realistic or Ambitious?
- When Cheap Drones Meet Battlefield Autonomy: Early Signs in the Israel-Hamas Theater
September
- Speculative: Robot vs. Robot Wars on the Horizon
- Machines, Morality, and the Poorer Side of War: The Ethics of AI in Asymmetric Conflicts
- Prototype Deliveries and the RCV-L Gamble: What the Army’s Light Robotic Combat Vehicles Promise and Risk
- Anticipating AUSA 2023: A Measured Look at the Robotics Showcase
- Future Costs: Robotic Warfare's Long-Term Budget Strain
- Human Oversight in the Autonomous Kill Chain: Responsibility, Limits, and the Illusion of Control
- Drone Swarms in Ukraine: Scaling Lessons for NATO
- RCV Prototypes Contract Awards: Where Things Stood on September 5, 2023
August
- Maritime Robots: US vs Chinese Unmanned Fleet Builds
- Replicator Deep Dive: Ethical Guardrails Needed?
- Between Console and Conscience: The Psychological Toll of Remote Warfare on Operators
- Army Selects RCV Prototype Builders: What to Expect
- Economic Pressures: Funding Robotic Versus Manned Platforms
- Speculation and Prescription: Toward AI 'Commanders' in 2030 Warfare
- Robotic Ground Vehicles: Mobility Challenges Exposed
- Ukraine's Summer Offensive: The Unmanned Margin of Advantage
- Thinking Through All-Domain Attritable Autonomy: A Cautious Appraisal
- If a 'Replicator' Were Announced Today: The Promise and Peril of Thousands of Drones by 2025
July
- Ethics Debate: Preemptive Strikes by Autonomous Systems
- Aerial Prototypes: MQ-Next and Beyond
- Human-Robot Bonds: Training for the Machine Age Battlefield
- Cost and Benefit in the Rubble: Robotic Logistics for Contested Zones
- Treaties Update: CCW GGE Concludes 2023 Sessions on Lethal Autonomous Weapons
- The Reality Gap: Where Today's Autonomous Systems Fail Their Real-World Tests
- Recent Ukraine Footage: How FPV Drones Are Redefining Infantry Tactics
- Independence Day Reflection: Autonomy and the American Military Edge
June
- AUSA Preview: What to Expect from Robotic Systems on Display
- Psychological Resilience: Soldiers Interfacing with Killer Robots
- Accountability in Autonomous Maritime Engagements: Chains of Responsibility for Sea-Borne Machines
- Speculative: When Sci‑Fi Swarms Meet DoD Doctrine
- Prototype Tests and the Limits of Promise: The Army’s Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle
- Economic Models for Mass-Producing Combat Drones
- Ethical Frameworks for AI in Joint Human-Robot Operations: A Layered, Practical Philosophy
- Ukraine Drone Strikes: Tactical Innovations Under Fire
- CyCon 2023 Highlights: Where Cyber Meets Autonomy
May
- Debating Over-Reliance: Machines Versus Human Intuition in War
- Global Arms Race: Robotic Prototypes from Russia and China
- Proximity, Cognition, and Responsibility: Human Factors in Remote-Controlled Lethal Systems
- Maritime Autonomy: Risks and Rewards in Anti-Submarine Warfare
- Simulating Robot Swarms Against Peer Adversaries: A Practical and Philosophical Primer
- Replicator Initiative Rumors: Is the Pentagon Ready to Embrace Attritable Autonomy?
- Future Battlefields: Integrating Ground, Air, and Sea Robots
- Ethical Dilemmas in AI Targeting Algorithms: Responsibility, Trust, and the Limits of Automation
- Drone Warfare Evolution: From Observation to Strike Capabilities
April
- The Psychology of Trust in Human-AI Combat Teams
- Prototype Spotlights: US Navy's Unmanned Surface Vessels
- The Hidden Ledger: Economic Consequences of Scaling Robotic Warfare Systems
- The Accountability Gap: Who Calls the Shots in Autonomous Engagements?
- Aerial Robotics in Contested Environments: Lessons from Simulations
- International Treaties on Lethal Autonomous Weapons: Progress or Stalemate?
- Ukraine's FPV Drones: A Case Study in Rapid Innovation
- Cost Analysis: Robotic Swarms Versus Traditional Artillery
March
- Speculative Fiction Meets Reality: AI Decision-Making in Battlefields
- Maritime Drones: China’s Advances and Western Responses
- Human-Robot Teaming: Psychological Challenges in Ground Robot Deployment
- Reviewing DARPA's Latest Autonomy Experiments: What Soldiers Need to Know
- Simulated Streets, Real Consequences: Ethical Fault Lines in Autonomous Targeting for Urban War Games
- The Escalating Role of Commercial Drones in Ukraine's Defense Strategy