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Shop nowWired for War
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Learn moreA military expert reveals how science fiction is fast becoming reality on the battlefield, changing not just how wars are fought, but also the politics, economics, laws, and ethics that surround war itself.Singer’s previous books foretold the rise of private military contractors and the advent of child soldiers—predictions that have proved all too accurate. Now he explores the greatest revolution in military affairs since the atom bomb: robotic warfare.We are now seeing a massive shift in military technology that threatens to make the stuff of I, Robot and The Terminator a reality. Over seven thousand robotic systems are now in Iraq; pilots in Nevada are remotely killing terrorists in Afghanistan; scientists are debating just how smart—and lethal—to make their current prototypes; and many renowned science fiction authors are secretly consulting for the Pentagon.Blending historic evidence with interviews from the field, Singer vividly shows that as these technologies multiply, they will have profound effects on both the front lines and the politics back home. Replacing men with machines may save some lives but will lower morale and psychological barriers to killing. The “warrior ethos,” which has long defined soldiers’ identity, will erode, as will the laws of war that have governed military conflict for generations.Paradoxically, the new technology will also bring war to our doorstep. As other nations and terrorist organizations obtain their own robotic weapons, the robot revolution could undermine America’s military preeminence. While his analysis is unnerving, there’s an irresistible gee-whiz quality to the innovations Singer uncovers. Wired for War travels from Iraq and Afghanistan, where these machines are now fighting, to modern-day “skunk works” in the midst of suburbia, where tomorrow’s technologies of war are quietly being designed. In Singer’s hands, the future of war is as fascinating as it is frightening.
P. W. Singer is a strategist and senior fellow at the New America Foundation, founder of the technology advisory firm NeoLuddite, the author of multiple award-winning books, and a contributing editor at Popular Science. He has been named by the Smithsonian Institution as one of the 100 leading innovators in the nation, by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues, and by Onalytica social media data analysis as one of the ten most influential voices in the world on cybersecurity. He has also appeared on Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers list. Prior to his current position, Dr. Singer was the founding director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. He was the youngest scholar named senior fellow in Brookings' ninety-eight-year history. Prior to that, he was the founding director of the Project on U.S. Policy Towards the Islamic World, where he was the organizer of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, a global leaders conference. He has also worked for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. Dr. Singer received his PhD in government from Harvard and a BA from the Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
William Hughes is a professor of political science, jazz guitarist, and an actor and narrator. Books he has narrated include FDR: The First Hundred Days by Anthony J. Badger, Brothers, Rivals, Victors by Jonathan W. Jordan, and Lincoln’s Spymaster by David Hepburn Milton.
Reviews
“Blew my f***ing mind…This book is awesome.”
“P. W. Singer has written what is likely to be the definitive work on this subject for some time to come. He has a record of drawing out the underlying trends in modern warfare, with previous books on child soldiers and the increasing use of mercenaries. Wired for War will confirm his reputation: it is riveting and comprehensive, encompassing every aspect of the rise of military robotics, from the historical to the ethical.”
“In his latest work, Wired for War, Singer confesses his passion for science fiction as he introduces us to a glimpse of things to come–the new technologies that will shape wars of the future. His new book addresses some ominous and little-discussed questions about the military, technology, and machinery.”
“Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder.”
“If you want the whole story of remote warfare, pick up a copy of Wired for War, in which Peter Singer, a fellow of the non-profit Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, exhaustively documents the Pentagon’s penchant for robotics. Think of it as the next step in the mechanisation of war: swords and arrows, guns, artillery, rockets, bombers, robots.”
“P. W. Singer has fashioned a definitive text on the future of war around the subject of robots. In no previous book have I gotten such an intrinsic sense of what the military future will be like.”
“Drawing from sources spanning popular culture and hard science, Singer reveals how the relationship between man and robot is changing the very nature of war…I found this book fascinating, deep, entertaining, and frightening.”
“Singer’s book is as important (very) as it is readable (highly), as much a fascinating account of new technology as it is a challenging appraisal of the strategic, political, and ethical questions that we must now face. This book needs to be widely read—not just within the defense community but by anyone interested in the most fundamental questions of how our society and others will look at war itself.”
“Lively, penetrating, and wise…A warmly human (even humorous) account of robotics and other military technologies that focuses where it should: on us.”
“William Hughes’ slightly hoarse voice is unremarkable but likable, and he uses it well, matching his inflections to the sense of the text and keeping to a quick, but not too quick, pace. Without overdoing it, he brings to the book a sense of excitement and wonder appropriate to the subject matter. “
“A vivid picture of the current controversies and dazzling possibilities of war in the digital age.”
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