The race to build artificial powers: Is China really building a 'super soldier'?

 

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Is China trying to develop a Captain America-style military? That's what the US intelligence agencies say, but the enthusiasm for the concept of "super-soldier" is not strange, and most countries besides China are interested in it. 

  

The abundance of resources and the desire to be ahead of other armies have led armies around the world to develop new weapons through technology. 

  

Announcing a new plan in 2014, President Barack Obama told reporters: "I'm here to announce that we're going to make Iron Man." There were laughter at the time, but Americans The president was serious. 

  

The U.S. military has begun work on a project called "Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit" (Telus). 

  

The video, which was made to promote her, showed the character wearing the dress crawling into the enemy's front lines and bullets falling from his clothes. However, he did not become an Iron Man. Five years later, the project came to an end. But the makers hope the components will be used in another project. 

  

Exo Skeletons are one of the many technologies that armies around the world are working on to innovate the capabilities of their troops. Achieving innovation is nothing new. Even in ancient times, armies have been trying to innovate in weapons, clothing and training, but today innovation means more than giving a soldier a better gun. It can also mean changing a soldier. 

  

In 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that man might soon invent something "more dangerous than an atomic bomb." "You would think that man might invent a man who has certain qualities, not only in the assumption but also in the reality," he said. He can be a great mathematician, a great singer or a soldier who can fight without fear, sympathy, regret and pain. 

  

Last year, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe went a step further in accusing China. He wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "China is currently in the process of testing People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops in an effort to improve their capabilities biologically." There are no moral boundaries for Beijing to seize power. 

  

China has called the article a "package of lies." 

  

The Biden administration has changed many of the points on Donald Trump's agenda, but tensions with China will continue to be part of US foreign policy. 

  

Dreams and reality 

  

Of course, armies around the world would like to have a 'Super Soldier' in their ranks who can put human needs behind pain, extreme cold and sleep. 

  

However, America's failed attempt to create an 'Iron Man' teaches us a lesson that technology can eliminate such ambitions. 

  

A 2019 study by two U.S. researchers found that the Chinese military was working hard on technologies such as genetic modification, exoskeletons and human-machine collaboration. It was based on statements made by the makers. 

  

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One of the report's authors, Elsa Kanya, is sceptical of Mr Ratcliffe's remarks. "It's important that we understand what the Chinese military is talking about and what it plans to do," said Kanya, a senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. But we also need to understand what technology can do now. 

  

He added that "although forces around the world are very interested in the concept of 'Super Soldier', in the end it could be what is scientifically possible, no matter who is doing it." Mr Ratcliffe was referring to testing on middle-aged people. While some things can be changed through genetic modification in middle-aged people, it must also be borne in mind that a change in the DNA of the unborn child is an important step in making a 'super soldier'. Can 

  

Dr Helen O'Neill is a geneticist at King's College London. The question, she says, is not whether it is possible or not, but whether scientists are willing to use the technology. "This technology, the genetic modification technique, is being used consistently in the field of medicine and transgenics, but there are ethical questions about the use of the mixture in humans," he said. 

  

In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui made a startling announcement that he had modified the DNA of twins in the mother's womb to protect them from possible HIV infection. 

  

However, after this development, there was a lot of grief and anger. Such genetic modification has been banned in several countries, including China. It is only allowed to be used in 'IVF Embryos' and also when they are destroyed immediately and not used later in childbearing. The scientist defended his "accomplishment" but was jailed for violating government orders. 

  

All the people interviewed for this article were the ones who made the Giaccio case into bioethics. Declared an important moment. Scientists later reported that not only could this process prevent HIV, but it could also improve mental well-being. 

  

He Jiankui modified the DNA of the twins using Crisper technology, which is the best way to bring about special changes in the DNA in cells. Some features can be extracted and added to it. In this regard, scientists are very hopeful that it can be used to treat genetically transmitted diseases. 

  

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However, the question is, what can it do for the military? 

  

Christophe Gallachet, a senior research scientist at the Frank's Kirk Institute in London, called Crisper a "revolutionary" technique. However, he says it also has its limitations. Citing an example, he said that the 'Find and Replace' option used in Microsoft Word files is similar. What is useful in one text does not have to be in another. "It's wrong to think that some genes have the same effects," he said. 

  

If you take a gene that strengthens your muscles and allows you to breathe better at higher altitudes. But in the future, this person may get cancer. ”Similarly, it is wrong to look at certain features in one go. 

  

Numerous genes, for example, play an important role in height. Similarly, many traits that, if modified, are passed on to many generations. Some analysts believe that China's actions are in fact a reaction to the United States. 

  

According to a 2017 report in The Guardian, the US military is allocating millions of dollars to genetic modification technology that will help eradicate the invading species. However, UN experts warn that it could have military uses. 

  

China and the United States are not the only countries that want to take the lead. The French military has also been approved as an "enhanced soldier", but at the same time, ethical boundaries have been set. "We have to be realistic," said French Défense Minister Florence Parley. "Not everyone has the same moral values as us, so we have to be prepared for what might happen in the future." 

  

Even if scientists improve an individual's characteristics, its use in the military can cause more problems. For example, would a soldier in a military-compliant structure be allowed to freely undergo such potentially dangerous treatment? China and Russia have reportedly experimented with cod vaccines on their troops. 

  

"Forces are not formed to look after the interests of a soldier, but to win a war or gain a strategic advantage," said Julian Savulescu, a professor of ethics at Oxford University. 

  

" he said. It is important to consider its advantages and disadvantages beforehand, but he added: "Obviously, things are different in the military. Individuals take risks, but often they do not take advantage of them. 

  

Soldiers are kept in dangerous situations like life or death. Probably a factor as to why they're doing so poorly. 

  

Professor Patrick Lynn, a philosopher at California Polytechnic State University, says it's not all that simple. "Improving the quality of soldiers means experimenting with them and risking their lives, so it's not yet clear how safe these soldiers will be after better quality." On the contrary, they may be sent on more dangerous missions and may be given more chances that are not taken with ordinary soldiers. 

  

"Captain America" did not happen, but there is always the possibility of a surprising development. 

"It is very difficult to have any moral or democratic control in the military because there is talk of keeping information secret and protecting the national interest," he said.