Neither Ironman nor the Hulk: Human Enhancements for Military Purposes
by Dr. Charlie Black
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01.24.2025 at 06:00am
Neither Ironman nor the Hulk: Human Enhancements for Military Purposes Image
Fifty years ago Alvin Toffler foretold the future possibility that man will have the capability to redesign the human body. His assertion followed only eight years after the Noble Prize was awarded for describing DNA molecules. “New genetic knowledge will permit us to tinker with human heredity manipulate the genes to create altogether new versions of man.”[1] His future is our reality. In 2020 Dr. Jennifer Doudna was the Nobel laureate in Biochemistry for the “development of a method for gene editing.” For thousands of years human life has adapted to its dynamic environment according to Darwin’s observations. Today we confront the advent of rapidly emerging technologies and converging with new biological knowledge that now gives man the ability to change themselves.[2] This potentiality is perhaps most consequential for U.S. special operations forces who operate on the global periphery and will likely be the first to confront the realities of enhanced soldiers.
Given the trajectory of scientific discovery, the US faces moral and ethical questions surrounding the adoption of these new discoveries to enhance and accelerate human abilities particularly when it is intended for military purposes. One side of the debate are the bio-conservatives such as Fukuyama who embraces essentialism[3] or the many derivatives from Mirandola’s Oration.[4] These along with others collectively argue that man’s natural self is endangered by human enhancements threatening our current and future state of being. Conversely there are transhumanist who view a historical coevolving relationship between man and their invented technologies. They advocate for bio-enhancements that ensure our species survival,[5] or show how humans can remain at the center of change to create better futures.[6] This advocacy for bio-enhancements seeks to confront a pace of change never before experienced by human civilization,[7] or to simply advance the discussion about promising possibilities from enhancements to ensure equal access to all.[8] It is important to note that many non-western cultures hold different moral beliefs do not ask the same ethical questions.
The debates centered on the diverse possibilities from emergent life sciences extend to the military, and especially to those forces that perform different tasks than conventional formations. It is logical that rich nations like China and the United States (U.S.) would seek technologic advantage over competitors and adversaries. US government sponsored research includes project topics to include synthetic biology, neuro and cognitive science, biological systems, and AI to name a few. Collectively the portfolio of research reveals the pursuit of human enhancement for military purposes. However, the current internal U.S. government debate is frozen, constrained by ethical choices framed in a time outpaced by dynamic scientific advancement and dependent social change. While the US moves cautiously potential adversaries with different cultural paradigms are less constrained to explore or exploit opportunities to gain advantage from bio-enhancements.
This article takes a transhumanist position contrary to extant U.S. government policy that applies a restraining civil societal ethic to human research thus creating dangerous limitations on human research intended for military purposes. This paper will explore the types of human enhancements, military benefits, and describe the context of the emergent security environment followed by an ethical framing from which to advocate for increased research funding. This research sustains future opportunity for adopting new discoveries in order to keep pace with scientific change and maintain advantage over our current and future adversaries.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/01/24/neither-ironman-nor-the-hulk-human-enhancements-for-military-purposes/
