NWC Issues in National Security, Lecture 8 "Robots That Fly, Swim and Crawl"

This lecture took place on May 7, 2024.

From Professor Jackson:

The use of drones and other unmanned/uncrewed systems has grown exponentially over the past decade. It is nearly impossible to pick up a magazine or read an on-line post that does NOT refer to the use of robots in military, civilian and scientific work. This fast-paced and wide-ranging lecture will provide an overview of how unmanned systems are changing the way we all work, fight, and live in the modern world. You will learn about flying robots as small as a bird and others as large as a commercial airliner. In the maritime environment, robotic craft operate on the surface of the sea, below the waves, and in the skies above. Ashore, robots roll, crawl on treads and walk on two legs. And while some people think these systems are modern inventions, you will discover how they have been used in various applications for more than a century.



About the Speaker: Professor John E. Jackson

John E. Jackson is a professor in the Naval War College’s College of Distance Education. He teaches in the area of National Security Affairs, and also serves as Program Manager for the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program. A long-time proponent of emerging technology, he has co-moderated one of the College’s most popular elective courses entitled “Unmanned Systems and Conflict in the 21st Century” since the 2009 academic year. In March 2010, he was called to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security regarding this course and the attitude of military officers toward evolving technology. In October 2017, he was appointed as the E.A. Sperry Chair of Robotics and Unmanned Systems. He retired from active duty in the U.S. Navy at the rank of captain after 27 years of service in the logistics and graduate education fields. He has been listed in Marquis “Who’s Who in America” since 1997.

In December 2018, his book “One Nation, Under Drones” was published by the U.S. Naval Institute. One reviewer called it “a unique and seminal work of extraordinary merit.” He has lectured on unmanned systems at venues ranging from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL); the American University Washington College of Law; and the New York Yacht Club. In November 2019, he was the only American to participate as a discussant at an international conference entitled “The Ethics and Law of Artificial Intelligence” sponsored by the Leonardo Foundation in Rome, Italy. In 2023, a Chinese-language version of "One Nation" was published by the Taiwan Ministry of Defense.