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Many readers of Strategic Studies Quarterly will no doubt remember lyrics from the song "In the Year 2525," released in 1969, written and composed by Rick Evans. For younger readers who do not remember this somewhat prescient melody consider these few lines:
Everything you think, do and say
Is in the pill you took today. . . .
Your arms are hangin' limp at your sides
Your legs got nothin' to do
Some machine's doin' that for you. . . .
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube...
In the year 2016, many of these predictions have either come true, are in progress, or surely will materialize within the next 509 years. Throughout history, mankind has maintained the desire to continually expand the bounds of science and nature in search of something new-sometimes benefitting the species, at other times threatening it. Just as the nuclear revolution led to advances that would threaten the world, it also created opportunities to benefit mankind. Twenty years after the first use of a nuclear weapon, Robert Oppenheimer recalled his feelings about it, quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds." Today, one can imagine, indeed, expect and rely on science to proclaim: "Now I am become life, creator of worlds." Similarly, from nuclear weapons to nuclear medicine, current emerging technologies offer many of the same challenges and opportunities.
Consider for a moment several technologies from 20 years ago that are no longer emerging but, rather, mature and commonplace: stealth, precision, and machine automation, among others. Each of these has had a significant effect on defense, economics, and national security. In some cases, such as stealth, the effects have been especially profound, creating defense capabilities that match the dreams of airpower pioneers. In the case of machine automation, the impact transformed production for many heavy industries, yet at the same time decreased the overall need for human capital.
Surveying current emerging technologies, one finds the world is experiencing even more profound uses. Artificial intelligence, brain interface, robotics, autonomous systems, biotechnology, lasers, hypersonics, and additive manufacturing (AM) are the most prominent examples. In every case, science is pushing the limits of known capabilities or standard uses...