The history evidently shows that the US and Soviet Union Cold War-era issues never ended - they just paused temporarily and continue beneath the surface even after the 1991 end of the Cold War. Unfortunately, this temporary pause left behind post-Cold War-era security issues and concerns - about the potential use of UAVs and drones carrying explosives and WMD (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear “CBRN”), and the capability of UAV and drone systems that deliver them.
The 1997 USAF Air Power Study stated: "Consequently, the combination of more efficient WMD and more effective delivery systems have become an area of great concern." "The principal Western response to this problem was the formation of the missile technology control regime (MTCR) in 1987. At that time, seven industrialized nations (the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the U.K., and Canada) identified a need to prevent the spread of delivery systems for WMD." (Ref: The US Air Force Air Power study: page 2, line 9)
The studies further stated: “WMD delivery systems often receive less attention than do the weapons themselves”. (Ref: para 2) This is mainly because Cold War-era strategic arms control prioritized large ballistic missiles and heavy bombers over tactical systems and small unmanned drone platforms.
Challenges of AI and the third revolution of drone warfare
Despite the importance of modern deterrence, there is widespread consideration of a revolution in the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), the new merging of conventional and nuclear conflicts, a new complex and multi-domain arms race, the rise of multipolar threats, and new drone-on-drone warfare, all of which will bring significant changes and challenges to new-era warfare that undermine the foundations of nuclear security and deterrence. (Ref: - Credit) (Ref: 21st Century Warfare Requires 21st Century Deterrence By Colonel Jeffrey W. Pickler.)
Artificial Intelligence is not a new issue
In 1950, English mathematician and computer science pioneer Alan Turing posed the question, “Can machines think?” (Re: The birth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research). However, Artificial Intelligence was not successful before due to a lack of large data sets, technology, and funding, known as the “AI winter”. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Artificial Intelligence is now rapidly gaining attention from global military organizations.
Artificial intelligence is also rapidly transforming traditional warfare into modern warfare by automating ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) capabilities, battlefield operations, and decision-making capabilities - reshaping global military strategy and modern deterrence to a new level.
In 1997, the US Air Force Air Power Study stated: "The Cold War may be over, but the effects caused by the change from a bipolar global geopolitical situation to a multipolar (or unipolar) situation may be more ominous than once imagined. Regional stability, long a concern of the United States (US), has now become an increasingly prevalent problem.” (Ref: Page 1, paragraph 1)
A multipolar deterrence framework involves three or more comparable great powers (e.g., the US, China, Russia, and other nations and regional actors) rather than the two-sided standoff of the Cold War. Now, these threats are not limited to the United States, but they have been spreading worldwide through ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and Middle Eastern wars.
The global superpowers, the US, Russia, and China, admit that 21st-century electronic warfare fundamentally differs from traditional warfare and is moving beyond conventional approaches, shaping the new lines between peace and war.
This presumption is clearly demonstrated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the transformation of traditional warfare strategies into modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) UAVs and drone-on-drone electronic warfare, which is now heading toward 2030 and beyond, or probably forever - which needs modern deterrence.
Our vision began in 2009 (17 years ago)
Our vision focuses on finding solutions to address the long-overdue nuclear deterrence strategy related to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones carrying nuclear and other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and their delivery systems - aiming to deter and defend against modern nuclear and other WMD (chemical, biological, radiological) warfare. Our vision also focused on: if deterrence fails, how to save lives and protect property. (go to: Civil Preparedness for war)
The US Air Force Maj. Gen. Brandon D. Parker, director of global operations at U.S. Strategic Command, said, “In light of the changing global security landscape, the War Department is considering how to approach modern-era deterrence differently..” (Ref. and Credit: The US War Department Continues Nuclear Modernization - Pentagon News).
Since 2009, we have been researching, designing, inventing, and developing a novel "Air-based air defense system" concept and novel war-fighting strategies and techniques referred to as “Mother Hen and parasite chicks” and the “THEBEES” war-fighting concept.
This technological invention is designed mainly to contribute to modern-era unmanned aerial vehicles and drone-on-drone-based electronic warfare, which is critical for 21st-century next-generation military modernization in 2030 and beyond, perhaps forever, focusing on the third revolution in warfare and deterrence.
The transformation of the third revolution in warfare involves the next generation of autonomous weapons systems and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered systems of architecture, all of which are capable of integrating and employing both offensive and defensive airpower capabilities - to suppress, defeat, and deter enemy attacks without direct human intervention.
This third revolution in warfare strategy involved armed drones, autonomous missile systems, and swarm drone systems, interconnected with existing manned, unmanned, ground, and space systems.
Specifically,it involved finding solutions to address modern deterrence strategies that have evolved far beyond the Cold War-era standoff. Modern frameworks rely on multilayered systems architecture designed to defend against and deter adversaries in modern nuclear and other WMD (chemical, biological, radiological) warfare. The third revolution in warfare transformed the bipolar deterrence into multipolar deterrence.
The study further stated that: "The result indicates that there is great potential for the use of UAVs as delivery systems for WMD, particularly by developing nations and nonstate actors such as terrorist groups who may not have the technical capability to employ other means. The potential exists for the proliferation of both UAVs and WMD to become widespread and thus a major security concern. There is no clear solution to this problem; (Ref: "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Lethal Combination?". The 1997 Air Force Study "Abstract" - page V.)