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Is China trying to make its own version of Captain America? US intelligence has suggested so. But beyond the hype, the possibility of a super soldier is not so outlandish and one that not just China is interested in. With deep pockets, and a desire to get an edge, the world's militaries have often driven technological innovation, from the state-of-the-art to the humble.
[...] Exoskeletons are just one of the promising technologies militaries are exploring to enhance their soldiers. Enhancement is nothing new - since ancient times, troops have been bolstered by advancements in weaponry, kit and training. But today, enhancement could mean much more than merely giving an individual soldier a better gun. It could mean altering the individual soldier.
"One may imagine that a man can create a man with some given characteristics, not only theoretically but also practically. He can be a genius mathematician, a brilliant musician or a soldier, a man who can fight without fear, compassion, regret or pain."
Last year, the former US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), John Ratcliffe, went further with a blunt accusation against China. "China has even conducted human testing on members of the People's Liberation Army in hope of developing soldiers with biologically enhanced capabilities. There are no ethical boundaries to Beijing's pursuit of power," he wrote in the Wall Street Journal. China called the article a "miscellany of lies".
[...] Having a super soldier in the ranks is a tantalising prospect for militaries - imagine a soldier who could withstand pain, extreme cold or the need to sleep. But as American attempts to build "Iron Man" show, technological restraint can drag ambition down to earth. A 2019 paper from two US academics said that China's military was "actively exploring" such techniques as gene editing, exoskeletons and human-machine collaboration. The report was based primarily on comments from Chinese military strategists.
[...] "Even though militaries around the world may have quite a lot of interest in the possibility of super soldiers... at the end of the day, what is feasible within science does impose a constraint on any actor that is trying to try to push the frontiers."
[...] China and the US are not the only countries seeking an advantage. France's armed forces have been given approval to develop "enhanced soldiers" with a report laying out ethical boundaries for the research.
Is it time to welcome our UNIVERSAL SOLDIER overlords ??
(Score: 4, Insightful) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @01:32PM (54 children)
So, the US is doing it, France is doing it, and China is *accused* of doing it. Interesting...
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @01:43PM
Sounds conspiracy from you. I lough inside.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:29PM (4 children)
The way physical standards have been dropped so women could join frontline military specialities, we may need these crutches. We are not allowed to be picky because "diversity" is more important than meeting objective standards. Proof: the fatass soldiers in rear echelon positions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:31PM (3 children)
Yeah - those fat ass bastards protecting our fat asses. Fuck 'em.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:58PM (2 children)
Not all of them, but definitely some of them. Women in particular. Gotta get the basics down first before we get fancy. If you can't meet the standard, you endanger your fellow soldiers who have to carry the slack for your weak ass.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by DannyB on Friday February 12 2021, @04:34PM (1 child)
Two ACs walk into a bar. (and they didn't duck before banging their head on it) Stop me if you've heard this one . . .
1st AC says:
Then 2nd AC says:
WTF?
(worse than failure)
Young people won't believe you if you say you're older than Google. (born before 1998-09-03)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:19PM
Sorry if English isn't your native language--even more sorry if it is.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by unauthorized on Friday February 12 2021, @02:31PM (47 children)
It's a typical warmonger apologetics. The US has been in more wars over the 21st century than PRC has been through out the entirety of it's existence, but they are the bad guys we need all this overwhelming military power to project on the other side of the world. When the Soviet put missile bases in Cuba, they're an evil aggressor. When the US puts missile bases right at the Chinese and Russian borders, they are the the good guys defending against the evils of communism and... err I guess Russians are just inherently evil or something.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:32PM
SOCCCIALISSSSSSMS!!
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:35PM (36 children)
Trump was the only President in decades not to start a new war.
He was reducing troop levels in the Middle East, and got Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel.
So... of course the Establishment (Democrats, Republicans, all same team under the covers) HAD to kick him out.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:56PM (32 children)
I see as of now parent post (mine) was modded Troll. Do some bozos hate Trump so much they can't admit he was the peace president? Biden is already going to put more troops in the Middle East. If some Establishment Republican had won, he'd be doing the same. It's all they HAVE done for decades!
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday February 12 2021, @04:41PM (25 children)
I gave you an +1 Insightful.
There has never been any president whose policies that I universally liked or hated. I've always had some disagreements with the best presidents, and some agreements with the worst presidents. It's always a mixed bag.
What I have never had is a slavish cult like devotion to any president.
Trump DID manage to facilitate peace with Israel and some of its regional neighbors. It's a fact. One that I observed as it happened. There's no shame in pointing out that Trump did something that I might favor.
Now, I'm not against putting troops in the Middle East, if there is actually a good reason. In principle.
Young people won't believe you if you say you're older than Google. (born before 1998-09-03)
(Score: 5, Funny) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @05:18PM (24 children)
Let' s try another one. Trump left a booming economy and markets in spite of the pandemic.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by DannyB on Friday February 12 2021, @05:44PM (4 children)
Trump gauges the stock market as his measure of the economy.
Let's try this: Trump gave billionaires a gigantic tax cut, and then tricked the middle class by lowering their tax withholdings (but not their tax liability). This makes their paychecks bigger. That tax bill is going to come home to roost by April 15th.
Young people won't believe you if you say you're older than Google. (born before 1998-09-03)
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:16PM (3 children)
Biden's first act as president: executive order that kills the Keystone oil pipeline and with it, tens of thousands of jobs. Let them get a better job, John Kerry says. Now THAT'S helping the common man where he *feels* it!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @10:03PM (2 children)
FTFY, but I was unable to repair your agenda.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 13 2021, @02:02AM (1 child)
What agenda, dickhead? He killed off tens of thousands of jobs like a dictator illegally with his first executive orders with nothing to replace them. Let them eat cake!
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 13 2021, @02:13AM
(Score: 2) by Tork on Friday February 12 2021, @05:59PM (18 children)
Dems agree with that.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @06:38PM (17 children)
How about the US trade deficit with China? Do they agree Trump reduced it as well?
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Tork on Friday February 12 2021, @06:45PM (16 children)
Hey while we're talking about this: What was the reaction like when Obama left office without even attempting to take your guns? Was there a mad dash to correct the record amongst yourselves?
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Touché) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @07:09PM (15 children)
Did Obama promised to do it? If so, he failed it like everything else.
Back to Trump promises, the one he did not deliver - in my book that is - was to put Hilary in prison. I despise him for that cowardness.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 5, Touché) by Tork on Friday February 12 2021, @07:14PM (14 children)
Is it your assertion then that you went 8 years without thinking Obama was going to take your guns away?
Are you upset that Mexico hasn't made one payment yet on the wall?
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @07:36PM (3 children)
Mexico didn't pay for the wall, but Trump got Mexico to hold the immigrants in Mexico until disposition of their asylum case. Mexico also took steps to secure its border with Central America to control the flood of them coming into Mexico. Those are meaningful achievements by Trump during his presidency. Of course Biden will trash it all.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @07:37PM (2 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @08:25PM (1 child)
True it was expensive in terms of $$$ but how many Mexicans were separated from their familiar? A lot, so in those terms the wall was cheap.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @10:49PM
Stephen Miller outed as an AC on Soylent News! Racist Rasputin of the Trump Dynasty!!
(Score: 2) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @11:25PM (9 children)
Are you nuts? Where did I say that?
We were talking about election promises and if they were implemented.
BTW, Biden already broke one. He said that he had a coronavirus plan and already took it back https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/22/biden-says-nothing-can-change-the-trajectory-of-covid-pandemic-over-the-next-several-months.html [cnbc.com]
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 13 2021, @01:21AM
You just wait until March. That's when Sharia Law is coming, like we've dreaming about all these years!!! Mwwah ahah allah!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Tork on Saturday February 13 2021, @01:27AM (4 children)
I asked what your reaction was, instead you answered the un-asked question "What would your answer be to this hypothetical set of circumstances?" I'm still looking for that answer so I provided a clearer example of what I was looking for. If it helps, though, I'll add this to clarify my position: A fair chunk of the people I've encountered who have shared sentiments similar to yours have also had a terrible time properly reiterating the general positions of the 'Left'. Example: people have asserted that I wish to kill babies and that I want absolutely no borders. Neither of which are positions I have taken. I don't know much about you so I'm asking questions. I'd like to know if you actually think Obama DID promise that THEN I'd like to know specifically how you reacted when he left office didn't even try to do that. It's actually kinda weird now that your response wasn't: "When did he promise that?" 🙄
Before you go too far down the projection debate-style I'd like to point out that Biden supporters, don't, for example, wear blue hats or attend dangerous-during-a-pandemic rallies to fellate the guy they want to vote for. If it's a legit criticism (yours might be, I'm not up to speed yet) I fucking hope he fucking hears it and gets back on fucking track because, as we've seen, blindly defending everything he does is how you end up facing uncomfortable questions along the lines of: "How do you claim to be pro-troops but support a guy who made derogatory remarks about McCain's time as a POW?". Rightly calling Biden out for a mistake does not hurt *me*, I actually want that to happen because no politician should be left un-checked. But if the converse of that scenario would compel you to DEFENDDEFENDDDENFEDNDE!!11! then you might want to take some time to think long and hard about what all you actually want from your elected officials.
If your choices are truly judgmentally sound I shouldn't be able to 'hurt' you with a remark, true or not, about a politician you favor.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 3, Touché) by legont on Saturday February 13 2021, @09:56PM (1 child)
I am glad you did not ask if I eat christian babies on Passover.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Sunday February 14 2021, @03:23AM
I wouldn't have pictured that being an area of your life where you don't live up to your own standards. Wow.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 15 2021, @01:35AM (1 child)
Let's be fair -- McCain never met a war he didn't love. The world is better off with him dead and probably better off for every minute he was imprisoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 15 2021, @01:58AM
Did he lower the reputation of the troops?
(Score: 2) by helel on Saturday February 13 2021, @08:20AM (2 children)
In what way has he broken that promise? The article you link even references some aspects of his coronavirus plan that he is implementing. He never said he'd make the virus disappear like magic. The reality is that even the most aggressive plans now would take a long time to really cut these numbers down because he inherited an ongoing national tragedy form a president who did promise magic and was unable or unwilling to deliver.
Republican Patriotism [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by legont on Saturday February 13 2021, @09:59PM (1 child)
In a nut shell, he said he had a plan, as opposed to Trump. Once elected, he said the pandemic has to run it's natural course - exactly what Trump said
Biden is a lying sucker.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 14 2021, @02:06AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @05:03PM (2 children)
Can you REALLY fault people for having difficulty with calling him the 'peace president' when his is the first administration in recent history where all four years of it were filled with mumblings from his own constituents (the winning side, mind you....) wanting a civil war?
We all know EXACTLY where your position would be if the roles were suddenly reversed.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:12PM (1 child)
I'm nominating you for an Academy Award as a Master Projectionist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @06:48PM
(Score: 2, Funny) by Eratosthenes on Friday February 12 2021, @08:28PM (2 children)
Peace president? He kept pushing the red button on his desk to start a war, and some white house butler would bring a Diet Coke. He never figured it out!
Ἀριθμητικὴ εἰσαγωγή
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 13 2021, @01:23AM (1 child)
The 1950s called - they want their golden era back. And their joke.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Saturday February 13 2021, @01:30AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @04:49PM
* not including the attempted civil war because conflict-of-agenda.
** is defending this guy as exhausting as it sounds?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by istartedi on Friday February 12 2021, @05:45PM
War is work. He might have had to leave the golf course once in a while. Sometimes laziness works in our favor. Sometimes it doesn't.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday February 13 2021, @09:17AM
All he did was give Turkey the go-ahead to genocide Kurds [nytimes.com], supply arms to Saudi Arabia and declare their opponents terrorists to create the world's worst humanitarian crisis [wfp.org]... he carries the possibly unique distinction of making a bigger mess without the use of US troops than other presidents have with troops.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:38PM
You weren’t paying attention:
Republicans: China is evil and they have Biden in their pocket
Democrats: Russia is evil and they have (had) Trump in their pocket
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by legont on Friday February 12 2021, @02:39PM (4 children)
Not to mention that most evil Russians, at least as sanctions lists are, are Russian Jews. Shout we say that the US is antisemitic?
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @02:49PM (2 children)
Here is a list of all of the times that Trump associates interacted with Russia from the early days of the 2016 election cycle to Trump’s inauguration. These interactions are based on court records related to the special counsel’s investigation, documents or testimony submitted to Congress [time.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @03:23PM (1 child)
Cool, now shut up about Trump and give us all our $2000 that was promised.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @08:27PM
Will you accept golf cart credits?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 13 2021, @02:20AM
You all think protesting actual police violence is divisive, misrepresentations like yours would not be out of your comfort-zone.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @03:04PM (1 child)
The PRC is busy genociding/Chinesifiying the countries or territories they invaded decades ago like Tibet and their Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It's kept them busy, but now they are laying claim to the South China sea and are harassing ships of neighbor countries. Time for expansion.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @08:29PM
How is it good for China to occupy regions and spread itself thin? Seems it makes them ripe for fragmention when the revolution comes.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday February 12 2021, @06:26PM
The PRC, and their predecessors, tended to act more locally, whereas the U.S. post WWI has been more of a global actor - it's a bigger space to get into trouble.
IMO, the U.S. would be far more powerful today if it had not engaged Iraq in GWII, but that's history now - regardless of spin and perspective, what's done is done.
Going forward: reliable, all theater capable exo-skeletons could really change the game. Grunts are limited by what they can carry in their field packs, if an exoskeleton turns them into an agile pack-donkey that can step out of the heavy skeleton and fight at will, that is a very different kind of infantry that can carry much more of its own intelligence drones, food, water, fuel, weapons and ammunition logistics, portable shelters, personal armor, etc. After "training" as an exoskeleton, those same devices could go full Iron Man 3 autonomous - totally destroying the storyline and making it unrelatable to today's audiences.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 12 2021, @07:17PM
They need to watch where they put the damn grease fittings.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Saturday February 13 2021, @06:41PM
Well, maybe not a genius mathematician [youtu.be], but if you want someone to fight with that level of detachment, why do you need humans [youtu.be] to fight your wars at all? Just train it to the best of your knowledge to avoid war crimes [moralmachine.net], program the limit counter [youtu.be] and send them off.