The Democratization Of Destruction

As the dual-use nature of accessible and affordable technology drives the democratization of destruction, new threats are rising faster than we can respond.

Introduction

Technology transformation is making humanity vulnerable and providing unnerving lessons. The key among that is the death of order in warfare and the birth of an unknown beast of destruction that has no visible face, form, accountability, loyalty, or order. Today, destructive wars are simply happening when any individual, group, or nation/state, decides to arm themselves with advanced information, communication, and other weaponized dual-use technologies, and create the conditions for destructive warfare to achieve their strategic objectives at an unfathomable scale. That brings us to an important point: when the destruction is democratized, wars have gotten smaller, are not being declared, and even won without the need to deploy any troops, or also fire a single shot or missile, do we know how many wars are on-going across nations today?

The troubling reality is that we are witnessing the democratization of destruction. Today’s technology is integrated into every component of a human ecosystem across cyberspace, aquaspace, geospace, and space (CAGS). Everyone: individuals and entities across nations: its government, industries, organizations, and academia (NGIOA) are increasingly becoming dependent on technology that has dual-use. It is the democratization of destruction driven by the accessible and affordable dual-use nature of emerging technology that is reshaping the nature of warfare, and the way wars are and will be fought across CAGS. As nature, approach, spectrum, mean, and mode of warfare evolves and become democratized, so do the dividing sovereignty lines blurring across CAGS. As a result, the security paradigm is changing and evolving.

Understandably, this is becoming a cause of great concern to not only governments but to everyone across nations as this vicious, weaponized technology-driven democratization of destruction, raging across CAGS, this new connected CAGS battleground is full of unknowns. It is difficult to know who the major players are, minor players to what are the rules of war,  reasons for war, and target for war. Armed with weaponized technology, in these connected CAGS battlefields the war casualties have been quietly piling up. It seems everyone, individuals, and entities across NGIOA are being hit, and is at risk of being hit. No one is being spared from being the target of destruction. And, this is just the beginning. So, as the democratization of destruction through weaponized technologies fundamentally transform warfare, the question is, do we understand the threats posed by dual-use technologies? And do we know how to stop it?

The democratization of Dual-Use Technologies

Irrespective of nuclear, biological, genomic, chemical, electronic, digital, or nano; as the pace of science and technology developments is increasing exponentially; the continuing dissemination of dual-use ideas, information, innovations, inventions, materials, and equipment across the CAGS ecosystem; brings each one of us complex security challenges.

Moreover, access to powerful technologies is no longer the exclusive dominion of the world’s most powerful institutions or nations. As a result, if we are to maintain global peace and security, we need to effectively manage the security risks emerging from the democratization of dual-use technologies. That brings us to important questions: do we have the capability to manage the security risks arising from dual-use technologies? Do we have the ability to control the democratization of destruction?

Emerging technologies, a key driver to the democratization of destruction, brings with it both promise and perils. The reality is that any new technology might be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes: any single algorithm that may provide critical economic applications might also lead to the production of modern weapons of mass destruction on a scale that is difficult to fathom. Any single gene-editing tool can help us cure diseases and can also lead to the development of pathogens and biowarfare. Any technology in cyberspace can be used for defense as well as offense. The connected computers, computer code, and the internet has connected cyberspace to aquaspace, geospace, and space and brought vulnerabilities in all the contested commons. And these are just a few examples. That brings us to an important point: Who has access to dual-use technologies? Who can cause harm today? Who is capable of causing damage? What is the nature of evil that can result from the misuse of these dual-use technologies?

Blurring Boundaries

Technology is on its way to blurring any visible/invisible dividing lines of sovereignty in cyberspace, aquaspace, geospace, and space. Driven by dual-use technologies, the connected CAGS battlegrounds bring each NGIOA, the good, the bad, and the unknown. With the world getting immersed in rapid advances in technology across CAGS, the activities in cyberspace have become inseparable from activities in aquaspace, geospace, and space. The blurring boundaries of cyberspace with aquaspace, geospace, and space have pushed each nation to a significant decision point today, as they must continue to defend their current systems and networks across CAGS; while simultaneously struggle, to get out in front of their competitors and challenges. Since part of preparing for warfare is to understand it, the question is whether we adequately understand the ongoing democratization of destruction across CAGS?

It is not only the blurring boundaries of warfare that is a concern, the technology-driven democratization of destruction, where anyone from across the nation can get access to all kinds of weaponized technologies, that were once the exclusive territory of nation/states is becoming a cause of great concern. That raises a fundamental question: where is the democratization of weaponized technology taking humanity? Is the future of humanity at risk?

Technology Driven Democratization of Warfare

Cyberspace, aquaspace, geospace, and space are now contested commons. Moreover, drone technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, 5G, 3D printing, facial recognition, nanotechnology, gene editing, synthetic biology, and more are dual-use technologies that can easily be weaponized. As weaponized technologies can manufacture/produce bioweapons, EM weapons, cyber weapons, nano-weapons, and more, the democratization of destruction seems to be the biggest threat facing humanity today.

Because the democratization of destruction brings the possibility of existential risks to the future of humanity, it is time to evaluate all possible components of the emerging CAGS combat system and see what is necessary to defend not only ourselves but the very future of humanity in this growing spectrum of CAGS conflict. That brings us to essential questions: what is the democratization of destruction to different components of a nation? Also, what defense strategies do individuals and entities across NGIOA have at their disposal today to defend themselves from any attack coming their way?

What Next?

Affordable and accessible technology has fundamentally democratized destruction. As more and more individuals, groups, states, or non-state actors begin to develop capabilities to exploit all modes of war in CAGS simultaneously by weaponizing existing and emerging technologies to destabilize an existing global order, the world is facing a chilling new reality of emerging existential threats to humanity for which no one seems to be prepared. Part of preparing for war is to understand it. The question is, do we understand the emerging democratization of destruction?

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