December 2019: Defence Forces Review
Earlier this month, we launched the 2019 Irish Defence Forces Review in association with the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIRe). This year’s review, an academic collaboration with the Defence Forces, examined the concept of the ‘22nd Century Military’ and the role that technological innovation will play the future of the Irish military.
Technology continues to advance at a rate not foreseen by those who have used it historically in a military context, and while the fundamental nature of warfare may not be changing; its character certainly is, as changes in thinking and technology evolve. How do we comprehend, contextualise, and conceptualise the changes wrought by emerging technologies, which are converging and being applied in completely unforeseen ways? History is littered with inflection points, such as the infamous ‘horse and tank’ moment, and the future military organisation will have to understand and learn to manage the power of information, in data processing, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, bio-science, materials and autonomy, to name but a few.
UCD Clinton Institute’s Dr. Eugenio Lilli contributed to the review and is seen here alongside Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, Professor Colin Scott and Professor Ben Tonra.
