Opinion Essay: Robots > Humans
War has changed by leaps and bounds in the past decade due to the introduction of truly inexpensive robotics technology. War no longer requires sending a human soldier into a hostile battlefield. Robots that cost only a few thousand dollars are now able to engage enemies either with assistance from a human remote operator or even completely autonomously. If a machine were to be destroyed during a mission there are few repercussions for the force that owned the machine, other than the need to order a replacement. This contrasts greatly to wartimes in the past where casualties resulted in funerals and grieving families. As the use of mechanized soldiers increases, humans will no longer be required on the front line, causing the removal of all moral judgment from military actions.
The force with the best machines has a strong tactical advantage. Robots have a much lower cost of operation than their human counterparts and require no sleep, food, or safety equipment. If a machine is destroyed, another can be instantly deployed to take its place. Humans simply cannot compete against those types of abilities. Any combat engagement between the cold steel of machines and the flesh and blood of humans would result in the slaughter of all the organic combatants involved.
Machines have no conscience to evaluate their actions; A gun does not know the difference between a 5 year old child and a hardened soldier, only a human operator does. The only way for those on the receiving end of robotic warfare to retaliate is to turn to terrorism. If one has no chance of defeating the opponent on the battlefield then one is forced to strike at the civilian population instead. If, however, both forces have access to robotic technologies, war on a traditional battlefield will become pointless, as neither side will suffer human losses, defeating whatever meaning that could be found in war.