Contenu du sommaire : Intelligence artificielle, numérique, drones, robots : vers la guerre de demain

Résumé

Collaborative combat would be inconceivable without digitisation. Digitisation determines the capacity for secure data exchange whilst benefiting from technological progress in the use of clouds. Such use in turn requires secure architectures to boost our sovereignty. With this in mind, we need to exert our influence on the definition of standards.

Drones are now in everyday operational use with greatly extended areas of application. They continue to benefit from technological advances, such as GPS guidance, composite materials and artificial intelligence, and offer an ever-wider range of options: their potential for growth is exponential.

Robotics for military purposes are in rapid development: new avenues are being opened up by artificial intelligence (AI), stealth materials and energy sources. All environments are now concerned, and extension of operational fields therefore becomes possible. High-intensity combat will benefit from these developments, which accelerate the tempo of joint manoeuvres.

The war in Ukraine is serving as a vast testing ground for the development of drones, since they are omnipresent and employed for an increasing number of aspects on the battlefield. There is continual innovation, and rapid and efficient validation processes. A spirit of start-up reigns, which is permitting rapid transition to use—an example which could be adopted in France.

The rapid spread of low-cost robotics has become an operational reality. Machines with sufficient performance are easy to acquire and use for terrorist or criminal purposes. It has now become urgent to deploy anti-drone warfare assets possessing innovative and advanced capabilities without any undue delay.

Today's video games can create the conditions for indoctrination to ideological or even terrorist ends. Cognitive warfare can benefit from the growth of the metaverse, thus constituting a growing threat that needs to be better kept in check in order to counter the manipulation of minds—of the young, in particular.

Lack of air superiority in combat makes airborne medical evacuation extremely difficult: the golden hour for treatment can turn into prolonged casualty care. Drones are set to revolutionise the approach through technological and doctrinal innovations. When these are linked with telemedicine and artificial intelligence, one can envisage cargo drones, ambulance drones and even medical robot drones.

Belgium is gradually committing to the use of drones, building on the sound practice gained from using unarmed airborne surveillance systems. The recent decision to go for a new, American-designed drone has initiated political debate on the issue of its possible arming—a debate notable for its ideological and non-operational arguments.

In a divided world and a society that has lost its way, violence—both physical and verbal— has become an everyday reality even in those political circles supposed to guarantee calm democratic debate. Since geopolitical upheaval increases tension and the risk of direct conflict, it is imperative to give new sense to public action.

Artificial intelligence is increasing the tempo of warfare by enabling massive amounts of data handling and exploitation in support of the decisional process. The risk is that the decision could be taken away from the military chief: it is therefore necessary to establish processes which avoid this error, strengthen the position of the chief and boost the benefits to be gained from AI.

The war in Ukraine has reactivated NATO, which continues to rely on its relations with the United States. It is nevertheless in France's interest to boost its visibility. Simultaneously, our defence industries need to increase their capability for more rapid production through combining technology and scale, in the face of the ever-present challenge of artificial intelligence (AI).

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the concept of operational art has returned to the fore. Alexander Svechin's work Strategy offers an understanding of the prescriptions of this concept, which attempts to reconcile strategy and tactics. And yet, in the nuclear age, has armed conflict become just a component of information warfare?

Swiss neutrality is fundamental to the national identity and to the Helvetic Confederation. It is a diplomatic factor, developed over the centuries to guarantee independence in the face of Switzerland's powerful neighbours. The war in Ukraine has upset such certainty, and there is now popular concern over a degree of hypocrisy surrounding the status of neutrality.

We are witnessing the end of a period which started at the end of the Cold War. After thirty years, war has returned: we need to reconsider war itself and also our military model, whose structure has hitherto been created around operations external to France. We must define a new context and framework for employing our forces, then adapt to it their missions and, in particular, their assets.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger are now governed by military juntas which are questioning their relationships—with France in particular. The inward turn of these three countries has not improved their security. Far from it: the situation has deteriorated, and the Alliance of Sahel States, created between the rebels, is not going to resolve the current crisis.

During the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913, high-intensity military engagements demonstrated the superiority of firepower over mobility. The lessons arising were appropriately recorded, yet were not exploited after the summer of 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War.

With the war between Israel and Hamas, Latin America would appear to be emerging from its diplomatic torpor. Not without a degree of disarray, however: approaches are multilateral against the delicate background of relations with Russia and the temptation to question the Western model. The idea of a Global South nevertheless carries within it a number of ambiguities between ideology on one hand and realpolitik on the other.

Prudence is one of the cardinal virtues. It is the virtue par excellence of the political leader and also of the military chief faced with decisions to be made in action. Prudence does not mean faint-heartedness and inability to act: on the contrary, prudence requires consideration of both event and mission.