*+-Drones are playing a larger role in modern automated warfare. It means that war can be fought remotely without the use of troops or people to man the aircraft. But even before drones were used more recently, automated warfare was attempted during the Vietnam War more than 50 years ago. War creates the need for research and technological development in order to out manoeuvre the enemy. Throughout the 20th Century World War One, World War Two, the Vietnam War, Cold War, and first Iraq War have all induced the development of military equipment and weapons. During Vietnam, various aircraft were used to circle behind enemy lines 24 hours a day relaying radio signals back to a secret base in Thailand. Taskforce Alpha was based there and was central to the development of automated military equipment. The air locked and air conditioned building was pressurized in order to protect the machinery behind the doors of the secret operation. The researchers based there monitored sensor signals sent from the aircraft on patrol, putting through sophisticated computers that could analyse the data. As fast as they were receiving data, programmers were writing new software so that the computers could analyse all of the data they were receiving. It was the US military’s first step towards removing human error from military action and replacing it with automated machines. General Westmoreland, who was in charge of US troops in Vietnam during the war, envisioned the future of warfare being focused on tracking and targeting the
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