Robots are ushering in an age of casual war

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what makes these weapons more dangerous is that the lack of a human presence on board an aircraft, or within an infantry charge, enhances chances that people owning or controlling them might be tempted to deploy them with lesser provocation.

Political masters could then avoid the embarrassment of watching soldiers returning home in body bags, and the public anguish of watching widows weeping at the funerals of downed servicemen. Off camera, they make the use of force easier to conceal – and deny, when caught.

Cheaper drones not only facilitate what military experts refer to as the “democratisation of warfare” by making the application of force accessible to more militaries and hostile actors, but also increase options to make punitive strikes without fear of an excessive ascent on the escalation ladder

In this new era, there is another worrying development: the possible return of children to the periphery of warfare, both out of necessity in some man-short situations as in Ukraine, but also because of the sharper reflexes, agility and dexterity of the young when it comes to  handling electronic devices. ...reports out of Europe say Ukraine has been calling up children to help defend against the Russian invasion by operating drones from backstage and assisting in cyber defence.

Qn: Examine the extent to which expenditure on arms and the armed forces is justified in the modern world. (Cam. 2014)