The Briefing Room

How is technology changing warfare?


Listen Later

In 1964, pre-historic remains were discovered at Jabal Aṣ-Ṣaḥābah - or Mountain of the Companions - in the Nile Valley near what is now the border of northern Sudan and Egypt. That site contained evidence of the earliest known warfare believed to have taken place around 13,500 years ago. It’s thought that climate change led to that conflict; as crop yields became smaller, more groups had to compete with each other for what food sources were available.

Spears and possibly arrows were the high-tech weapons of choice in the Nile Valley. Flash forward to today and it’s AI-enabled drones that have been - literally - levelling the playing field for Ukraine in their battle against Russia.

But as technological advancement continues apace what lessons have we learned from recent conflicts and how might things change in the wars yet to begin?

Guests:

Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist,
Dr Jack Watling, Senior Research Fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute
Dr Emma Salisbury, associate fellow in military innovation at the Council on Geostrategy

Production team: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight

Editor: Richard Vadon
Production Co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman
Sound engineer: Neil Churchill

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Briefing RoomBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

53 ratings


More shows like The Briefing Room

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,877 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,085 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

854 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,074 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,766 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,960 Listeners

The Bottom Line by BBC Radio 4

The Bottom Line

40 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

425 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

69 Listeners

Political Fix by Financial Times

Political Fix

156 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

746 Listeners

Daily Politics from the New Statesman by The New Statesman

Daily Politics from the New Statesman

144 Listeners

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson by BBC Radio 4

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

113 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,215 Listeners

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government by Institute for Government

Inside Briefing with the Institute for Government

23 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

790 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,014 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,875 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics: Leading by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

858 Listeners

When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

When It Hits the Fan

49 Listeners

Radical with Amol Rajan by BBC Radio 4

Radical with Amol Rajan

44 Listeners