The Battlespace of the Future
When we think of war, we think of soldiers armed with weapons and armed to the teeth, lining up to fight the enemy. While there are still too many blatant wars going on, a new kind of conflict is unfolding around the world. It’s called “Shadow Warfare” and it’s rapidly taking over conventional warfare.
Shadow warfare is officially “non-existent” warfare, a more cautious style of fighting that employs counterintelligence, data hacking, drone surveillance and attacks, and outsourced mercenaries. It’s also growing in popularity because it offers plausible opportunities for denial.
Many nations use these methods to avoid responsibility for actual warfare and the resulting death and damage. It is a backdoor option for resolving political, economic and humanitarian conflicts.
All countries have increased their military power since World War II. Powerful weapons, planes, submarines, ships and more are almost commonplace. The U.S. military spends more than the rest of the world’s major militaries combined. But the rise of technology, primarily digital, and its use in conflict management and warfare is of great concern.
For example, drones are now a common weapon used by many armed forces, especially in the Middle East, in countries such as Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan. Enemy forces from the United States use drones to attack insurgents and terrorist groups such as the Taliban, Islamic State, and Al Qaeda. Unfortunately, innocent civilians are often shot and trapped in the crossfire.
Data warfare is another aspect of shadow warfare. Despite many advances in technological security, computers, smartphones, and other personal devices remain relatively easy for adversaries to hack. Clicking on the wrong link or even missing a call can be enough to install a virus on your phone, giving hackers access to your phone’s camera, microphone, and messages.
These hackers are backed by governments, and on the other hand, digital mercenaries working underground sell spyware to authoritarian regimes. Many technology companies have been attacked by viruses from the outside, shutting down all computers and rendering them unusable, while information has been hijacked. When these data attacks have physical effects that can harm crowds, it becomes extremely dangerous. Governments are at great risk because all their information is stored on computers.
Mercenaries hired by private companies are also increasingly being used to do the dirty work for governments. Mercenaries allow them to avoid liability for possible consequences, and it’s much cheaper than using their official armed forces. However, the privatization of war has its caveats, notably the growing need for mercenaries and conflict.
It is no longer true to say that Shadow Wars is the future, because it already exists.
Directed by: Charlotte Krüger, Dirk Laabs
