Rapid developments in technology have a profound effect on how warfare is conducted. Military technology incorporates advanced computing and mechanical design to achieve mission goals with more precision and less waste. Because these technological changes take place within the evolving geopolitical context of modern warfare, the study of military technology connects with the history of modern warfare, military doctrine, and international diplomatic accords regarding the conduct of warfare.
Written by Paul J. Springer, who is a professor of comparative military studies, Military Robots and Drones: A Reference Handbook provides a high-level overview of the background and current trends affecting two types of mechanical devices used in combat and non-combat settings: robots, which are programmed to respond in independent ways to stimuli; and drones, which are guided remotely by human operators. The overview essays presented in the first chapters provide an encyclopedic view of topics including the history of mechanization and the future of artificial intelligence. While the work focuses primarily on the USA, a significant amount of attention is devoted to military robots and drones used around the world.
The resource sections describe both modern military technologies and those from the recent past with robotic features or drone-like capabilities. The development background, design features, and current capabilities are described using layman terms, and citations are provided to more detailed sources. Documentary content includes international agreements and legislation within the USA that affect the development and deployment of drones and robots.
Although there is a section entitled Data and Documents, statistics provided within the work are incorporated into the narrative text rather than presented in tables. The annotated bibliography provides suggestions that would undoubtedly lead a researcher to sources for data and statistics; however, it is organized by author instead of topic and therefore requires careful reading to effectively use the information. Users with access to the e-book version as here reviewed can use the hyperlinked index or their browser's Find functionality to sort through the content more quickly.
Military Robots and Drones provides an overview of primary and secondary resources and an extensive directory of entities associated with the creation and deployment of military technologies. The text includes enough context to suggest pathways for experienced researchers. The primary weakness for reference service providers is its lack of guidance for locating primary source materials on topics related to military robots and drones. For the most part the author does not discuss the ways in which information on these technologies is produced and disseminated. Overall, however, this work serves as a useful introduction to the topic and a guide to current literature.
