Defence & Security Alert December 2018 Edition

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naval warfare robotic brain

Advanced Future Skills in Navies Modern day soldiers carry micro-UAVs as portable gear and this falls into the category of wearable technologies. Finally, disruption would be the key feature of future naval environment and navies will seek innovative technologies, evolve creative tactics and develop new concept of operations to support disruption caused by the Fourth Industrial Revolutions

T

echnological advancements have shaped naval warfare through the ages. During the First Industrial

Revolution, steam power replaced wind / sail power to move ships, and coal fired steam engines made debut. The Second Industrial Revolution marked the arrival of cannons onboard ships and wooden hull ships were clad with

iron. Later, steel was used for building the entire ship. During this period, internal combustion engine evolved, and radio for communication was introduced. The Third Industrial Revolution featured information and communication technologies, and navies transitioned from platformcentric to network-centric warfare. The ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution is led by disruptive technologies and use of smart,

Black Hornet Nano Helicopter UAV.

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December 2018 Defence AND security alert

intelligent, predictive and cognitive systems and devices are defining future naval warfare. There is already a strong evidence of some navies shifting from networkcentric to algorithm-led naval warfare which showcase autonomous platforms such as intelligent machines, drones in swarms, robots that will be both offensive and defensive, wearable and embedded sensors and computers worn by humans. At the heart of these are disruptive technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Augmented Intelligence, Cognitive Computing (CC), Internet of Things (IoT), Internet of Everything (IoE). Significantly, these technologies are transforming operations at sea, in the air, underwater, ashore and even in the outer space. This paper illustrates at least four facets of disruption in naval warfare which are at various stages of development. The paper also makes note of the new skill-sets that navies will have to introduce in their curriculum and operational exercises.


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