Trend Emerging technologies reshape the military balance and the character of warfare

Summary

The third variable is advanced military technology, whose military use the United States, China and many other countries are emphasizing. At the February 2025 AI summit in Paris the United States declared its intent to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence, and although both powers see a need for regulation they are expected to favor innovation in the end. China promotes a civil-military fusion model while the United States seeks a cooperative model that absorbs private innovation, and these efforts are setting standards that Korea and Japan are striving to follow. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology and nanotechnology are expected to shift the military balance rapidly. Autonomous weapons such as drones are already used on battlefields, space weapons are being developed and deployed fast, cyber warfare is becoming routine and AI-enabled cognitive warfare is set to accelerate.