Defense Department researchers have concluded that cyborg soldiers once seen in works of science fiction will be heading to the battlefield within decades.
A yearlong assessment titled “Cyborg Soldier 2050: Human/Machine Fusion and the Implications for the Future of the DOD” informs military leaders to prepare the civilian population for a reality in which soldiers are augmented and enhanced in ways reminiscent of the 1992 movie “Universal Soldier.”
“This [emerging] technology is predicted to facilitate read/write capability between humans and machines and between humans through brain-to-brain interactions,” an executive summary by the DoD Biotechnologies for Health and Human Performance Council reads, Military Times reported Wednesday. “These interactions would allow warfighters direct communication with unmanned and autonomous systems, as well as with other humans, to optimize command and control systems and operations.”
Cyborg-like enhancements for troops will be “technically feasible by 2050 or earlier,” researches wrote while noting that civilian research is already leading the way.
“The benefits afforded by human/machine fusions will be significant and will have positive quality-of-life impacts on humankind through the restoration of any functionality lost due to illness or injury,” researchers added.
Officials were warned to address “negative cultural narratives of enhancement technologies” early in part by protecting privacy rights and stressing “defined benefits to the United States and its allies and assets,” the website reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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