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IT, artificial intelligence new kings of modern battlegrounds: British military scientists

Xinhua, February 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

Britain's defense scientists announced Wednesday a major military exercise to demonstrate that information technology is the new "King of War" on the battlefields.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), part of the Ministry of Defense (MOD), say artillery is no longer the King of War, and that information technology has transformed the modern battlefield at sea, in the air and on land, and it is arguably the new King of War.

Dstl plan in April to demonstrate this as part of a Royal Navy-led exercise, known as Information Warrior.

Warrior builds on the success of an earlier warrior exercise last year focusing on unmanned weapons and military hardware.

A spokesman for Dstl said the new Warrior exercise will focus on how information can be used offensively and defensively to give Britain's armed forces a battle winning advantage.

Commenting on the Information Warrior exercise, Dstl's chief executive, Jonathan Lyle, said: "Information has transformed the face of conflict. Dstl is excited to be part of the Royal Navy's Information Warrior exercise in which our scientists will be demonstrating and testing some of the latest innovations in cyber, information systems, Big Data and artificial intelligence research."

As part of a Royal Navy program, Dstl is working on smaller, more agile and user-friendly secure communications.

Royal Marines will put this system to the test during the exercise to ensure that it allows their command to communicate effectively with troops on the ground.

Another enabling technology being tested in the April exercise will be used to allow artificial intelligence applications to be deployed. Artificial intelligence is a major theme of Information Warrior, said Dstl.

Dstl's technical experts will also support the Royal Navy to ensure that its forces are secure and resilient to cyber threats.

"Consequently, Information Warrior will exercise the Royal Navy's ability to defend itself against cyber threats, as well as conventional threats, ensuring that our cyber defenses and skills remain state of the art in this rapidly evolving area," added the Dstl spokesman. Endit