Innovations & technologies

The problem with the Pentagon's 'lethality' branding

The need for greater lethality is a legitimate concern, especially when one considers that the burden of sacrifice falls disproportionately on Army infantry and Marines. The military brass is right to want to win its wars, losing as few American lives as possible. Yet, to some in Silicon Valley, lethality has a less innocuous ring to it. It does not suggest avoiding civilian harm but rather just the opposite. These concerns are amplified by high civilian casualties in war zones like Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. These concerns are valid, and this does not make these tech workers the modern-day equivalent of "Hanoi Jane" or any less patriotic. War is ugly, and some techie at Microsoft should not feel morally compromised by handing over something to a battalion commander that frankly few of us understand.

The U.S. military needs to do a better job at framing its mission to non-military audiences. If all its field manuals and press releases call for greater lethality, it should expect some blowback among those in Silicon Valley who prefer to limit war and reduce civilian harm. By "lethality," what the military actually means is achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness. 

Warfare is increasingly less focused on killing bad guys than deescalating situations, applying American soft power, and innovating creatively to defeat and deter our enemies.